Two Classic Works of Japanese Bibliography

HAYASHI, Razan 林羅山 [& Gaho 鵞峰].

Nihon shojaku ko 日本書籍考 Part II: Keiten daisetsu 経典題説 [Explanatory Guide to Japanese Books & Texts [&] Explaining the Titles of Sutra].

Two parts in one vol. 60 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. aubergine patterned wrappers (covers a little defective), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label soiled & rubbed), new stitching. Osaka: Harimaya Risuke, 1843 [colophon of the first part is dated 1667; the second part is dated 1816; & the colophon on the rear pastedown is dated 1843].

Second edition of two classic works of Japanese bibliography; the texts were essential guides. Razan Hayashi (1583-1657), was a Japanese neo-Confucian scholar, diplomat, translator of Sinitic texts, and shogunal adviser. He, and his third son Gaho, wrote and edited a number of important chronicles and histories of Japan. One of Razan’s descendants, Akira Hayashi, was the chief Japanese negotiator in dealing with Admiral Perry and signed the Treaty of Kanagawa.

Both of these works were jointly written by Razan and Gaho (who uses the pen name “Koyorinshi”in the first part). “The earliest published books about books were Hayashi Razan’s Keiten daisetsu (1667) and his son Gaho’s Nihon shojaku ko (1665), which gave brief summaries of a selection of Chinese and Japanese texts respectively. Although not explicitly stated, Razan and Gaho had these works published as education aids to guide inexperienced readers, perhaps particularly those with teachers who were trying to find their way through the bewildering variety of printed works currently available.”–Kornicki, The Book in Japan, p. 441.

It should be noted that Razan died from the shock of a fire which totally destroyed his house and enormous library of books and manuscripts. He escaped from the house carrying a single book: the book he had been reading at that moment.

Very good copy with some mostly marginal worming. The first edition is an extremely rare book.

Price: $3,750.00

Item ID: 6286