An Emperor’s Study of Court Ceremonial

JUNTOKU, EMPEROR 順徳天皇.

<i>Kinpishō</i> 禁秘抄 [<i>Notes on the Forbidden and the Secret</i>].

25; 29; 45 folding leaves. Three vols. Large 8vo, orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers, old stitching. Kyoto: Tanioka Shichirōbei 谷岡七郎兵衛, 1652.

Second edition (1st ed.: 1644-47) of this medieval work on court ceremonies and rituals. In the Heian period, different schools of court ceremonial had emerged. Our book was written by Emperor Juntoku (1197-1242) during the Kamakura period, when the power of the emperors was circumscribed by that of the shoguns in Kamakura. At the same time, the emperor who did have power was not always the man on the throne. This was a period of powerful retired emperors, including former Emperor Go-Toba 後鳥羽天皇 (1180-1239), Juntoku’s father. Go-Toba wanted to revive imperial ascendancy, and it is possible that our book was written in that context. The book describes court rituals, the changing of reign names, the handling of precious objects, the procedure for issuing official documents, the learning and skills that an emperor should acquire, etc. After the book was finished — but, as far as we know, unrelated to it — Go-Toba rebelled against the shogunate. After his defeat, Juntoku was deposed and banished.

Several readers have left marginalia, including inserted manuscript leaves, notes pasted onto the pages, and colophons, in our book. The marginalia appear to be emendations to the text made on the basis of a comparison with manuscripts other than the one used for our edition. Several of the colophons are dated (1787; 1847). Some colophons must reproduce earlier ones written for other manuscripts, because some of the dates predate our edition.

Very fine copy, preserved in a chitsu. Minor worming, carefully repaired. Wrappers a little mended.

Price: $7,500.00

Item ID: 10331