FY2011
Vol.37 Hosei University Library, Proof of "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" by Masamo Ishikawa
February 16, 2012
FY2011 Ishikawa Masamochi (1753-1830) was a late-Edo period Japanese scholar, widely known as a Kyoka poet and Yadoya no Meshimori (Yadoya Iimori). Among his many works, "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" is a collection of 54 short stories in two volumes published in Bunka 2 (1805). A reprint of "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" is included in the "Hanashibon Daisei" (Tokyo Do Publishing, 20 volumes), and the University Library has a printed version of the book in its collection.
Proofreading is an important process in the production of a book or magazine, in which the author or editor tries out the printed pages and corrects errors or makes changes to the text to improve the appearance of the book. The woodblock printed proof copy of "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" has the same cover as the finished product, and is bound with a tightly rolled top and bottom binding. The publisher revised the woodblock according to the proofs and published the book, and it is extremely rare for the proofs to remain in such a clean condition. It is extremely rare for a proof copy to remain in such a clean condition, as proof copies do not exist in large numbers and are destined to be discarded after proofreading. In this sense, this proofread book is a very valuable resource.
According to the preface, "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" is a collection of short stories written by Masamo, who was born and raised in a traveling inn in Kodenma-cho, Edo (hence the name of the inn), based on the comical stories he heard from the travelers who stayed there. The title "Shimi no Sumika" comes from the fact that the paper fish (shimi) that devour the paper had infested and soiled the paper while it was left alone for a while after it was first written in Chinese characters in an attempt to write.
The characteristic feature of "Shimi no Sumika Monogatari" is that the small Edo tales are written in the Gabun style, imitating the style and writing style of the Uji Jigai Monogatari (Tales of Uji Pickup). The funny stories are written in the Heian-period style in a graceful and elegant language, which is the unique charm of this work by Masamo, who also excelled in the study of the classics.
This is a neatly bound and proofread book. It is common in Edo period books for the title of the front cover to differ between the upper and lower volumes.
A proofreading written in red ink on the outside of a column in the proofbook (left) and the same page in the printed version with the correction. The proofs are printed lighter than the woodblock prints because the ink has not yet absorbed well into the woodblock. Proofreading books do not contain illustrations, and the order of the preface is different from that of the printed book.
A page with a piece of paper with the corrected text pasted on top of the proofread text. Looking at the contents of the proofreading, it is possible that this is not the first proofreading of the book, but rather the several proofreadings.
A fan mask (senmen; private collection of Associate Prof. Kobayashi) that Masamitsu composed under the title "Rokujyuen" on the theme of the Buddhist event "Nerikuyo" (Neri Kuyo). (Senmen, private collection of Associate Professor Kobayashi). The red ink is the same as that on the proofs, which indicates that the proofs were made by the artist himself.
It is illustrated throughout with Heian-esque illustrations depicting clouds. The story of this picture is about a man who put his finger on a flute sold at the Kamo Festival, but it got stuck, and he had no choice but to buy it on his way home. On his way home, he hears the strange sound of a zither coming from behind a bamboo fence. I peeked through the gap and saw four or five women chatting and laughing. People came to him and scolded him, so he had no choice but to ask them to sell him the bamboo fence. It is a funny story about a man looking through a bamboo fence with his finger stuck in a whistle.
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