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Or 13130
- Record Id:
- 032-003090934
- Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
- 032-003090934
- MDARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100025884521.0x000001
- LARK:
- ark:/81055/vdc_100166033166.0x000001
- SLARK:
- Format:
- ISAD(G)
- Reference (shelfmark):
- Or 13130
- Title:
-
Bunshō no sōshi 文正草子
- Scope & Content:
-
'The Tale of Bunshō'. Title on title slip: Bunshō ぶんしゃう. An illustrated otogizōshi story of the 'rishhin shusse 立身出世' (rags to riches) category. Of unknown authorship but composed during the Muromachi Period (1333-1573).
Summary: a man named Bunta was a servant in the employ of the Chief Priest of the Kashima Shrine in the province of Hitachi (present day Ibaraki Prefecture). One day he was dismissed and went instead to work for a salt-maker. In time he set up on his own as a salt-peddler and made his fortune. He then changed his name to Bunshō. However, he had no children and so he prayed to the deity Kashima. His prayers were answered and two daughters were born to him. These daughters grew up to be great beauties and news of their loveliness reached the Capital. Nii no Chūjō (Captain of the Second Rank), son of the Regent, set off for Hitachi in disguise and married the elder sister. Subsequently the younger later became Empress and the family enjoyed great prosperity
This work was the earliest in the corpus of otogizōshi stories and because of its auspicious theme was often the first story read at New Year during the Edo Period. Manuscripts of this tale are the most frequently found of all otogizōshi stories during the early Edo Period
This manuscript is undated but is probably from the early Edo Period (c. 1640-1680)
- Collection Area:
- Oriental Manuscripts
- Project / Collection:
- Japanese manuscripts
- Hierarchy Tree:
- [{ "id" : "032-003090934", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Or 13130: Bunshō no sōshi 文正草子" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
- Hierarchy Record Ids:
- 032-003090934
- Is part of:
- not applicable
- Hierarchy:
- 032-003090934
- Container:
- not applicable
- Record Type (Level):
- Fonds
- Extent:
-
3 volumes
- Digitised Content:
- http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_13130 (digital images currently unavailable)
- Thumbnail:
-
- Languages:
- Japanese
- Scripts:
- Japanese
- Start Date:
- 1640
- End Date:
- 1680
- Date Range:
- 1640-1680
- Era:
- CE
- Place of Origin:
- Japan
- Access:
-
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- User Conditions:
- Physical Characteristics:
-
Format: Nara ehon. 91 folios (vol. 1: 29 ff., vol. 2: 33 ff., vol. 3: 29 ff). 11 lines of text per page. Height of text: 186 mm
Illustrations: 1 double-page and 13 single-page Tosa-style illustrations (vol. 1: 6 ill., vol. 2: 5 ill., vol.3: 3 ill. (incl. 1 double page))
Material: ink and colour on ganpi paper
Dimensions: 247 x 180 mm
Binding: fukurotoji style binding. Dark blue paper covers with images of trees and plants in gold ink. Inside of front and back covers lined with gold leaf. In a chitsu case
Ownership labels on front cover of volumes 2 and 3: 三柳居杦浦氏蔵書記 [Sanryūkyo Sugiura-shi zōshoki]
- Custodial History:
-
Formerly owned by Sugiura Kyūen [Saburōbē] 杉浦丘園 [三郎兵衛] (1876-?)
- Former Internal References:
- Or 56 c
- Source of Acquisition:
-
Acquired from Isseidō, Tokyo in 1967
- Publications:
- For a translation of the story see Araki, James T. "Bunshô Sôshi: The tale of Bunshô the Saltmaker." Monumenta Nipponia 38.3 (1983): pp. 223-249
- Material Type:
- Archives and Manuscripts
- Legal Status:
- Not Public Record(s)