Kashōki 可笑記

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 ORB 30/304
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1659
  • Language of Material
    • Japanese
  • Physical Description
    • 5 volumes Condition: Fair. Worm damage (some repaired), soiled and stained folios. Impression: Atozuri, from worn blocks. Some folios printed from re-cut blocks. Illustrations: A total of 3 double-page and 37 single-page sumizuri illustrations; 1 double and 9 single in maki 1, 1 double and 7 single in maki 2, 1 double and 6 single in maki 3, 8 single in maki 4, and 7 single in maki 5. Illustrator unknown. Seals of ownership: Three square seals on first page of each maki: (1) brown seal printed inkoku, Shokusan in 蜀山印 (seal of Ōta Nanpo 大田南畝); (2) red seal printed partly inkoku, 源士渟印; (3) red seal, 大町.

Scope and Content

Author/compiler: Nyoraishi 如儡子 (pseudonym). Real name: Saitō Chikamori 齋藤親盛. Imprint: [Kyōto] , Yamamoto Gohē, Manji 2, 1659. Kanki on fol 71a of maki 5 reads: 于時萬治二年正月吉日 ／ 板本 ／ 寺町三条上ル町 山本五兵衞開. Description: 5 kan, 5 satsu, in a box. (Maki 1) ff. 52; (2) ff. 54; (3) ff. 51; (4) ff. 52; (5) ff. 71. 22.4 x 15.8 cm. Fukurotoji. Blockprint. Printing frame 17.4 x 12.8 cm. (average). Single-line borders. Single fishtail design on hanshin. Hiragana-majiri text, with printed furigana, dakuten and punctuation. 12 lines to page, c. 26 characters to line. Original dark blue covers, badly rubbed, with original printed title slips on left, also rubbed and damaged. Gedai: Kashōki e-iri 可笑記 繪入. Naidai and gedai identical. Hashiragaki: 可笑記 + maki no. + folio no. Edition: Third recorded edition, following two without illustrations published in Kan'ei 13 (1636) and Kan'ei 19 (1642). The present edition of Manji 2 (1659) was the first to contain illustrations. Contents: Traditionally classed as a kana-zōshi, but not in fact a work of fiction. It has more in common with zuihitsu works such as Tsurezuregusa 徒然草.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the British Museum in 1973.

Other Finding Aids

Kenneth Gardner, Descriptive Catalogue of Japanese books in the British Library printed before 1700 (London and Tenri, 1993).C. Japanese works 和書 5. Literature - fiction 国文-小説 f. Kana-zōshi 仮名草子

Bibliography

Nihon koten bungaku daijiten 日本古典文学大辞典, vol. 1, p. 624; Kana-zōshi 仮名草子, vol. 2, pp. 1-2, 2 plates; Kanrodō bunko kikōbon kōran 甘露堂文庫稀覯本攷覽, fol. 12.