■ Explanation
This book is comprised of three volumes, each with modern binding using the same piece of rectangular pasteboard wrapped in crepe-paper for the front cover, spine, and back cover. The illustration on the cover depicts waves and cherry blossoms in the first volume, plovers flying over the sea in the second volume, and water plantains in the third volume. The pages containing the main text consist of flat (uncrinkled) "washi" (i.e., Japanese paper) of the very highest grade, with a covered binding. Although not all pages have undergone the crepe process, the book embodies excellent craftsmanship; the English letters are printed in a style of type that calls to mind Japanese brushwork, and perfectly matches the illustrations by Shoso, Yoshimune, Kason and other illustrators.
All three volumes contain 31-syllable "waka" poems inspired by flowers and nature as examples of "blossom songs," and Chinese-style poems portraying the samurai soul and scenes of battles as "sword songs." The third volume also presents "love songs." As is stated in the preface of each volume, the "waka" about flowers were taken from the Kokin Wakashu, Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry, and the "sword songs," from Chinese-style poems written by samurai up until the modern period. The "blossom" poems in the third volume, however, do not all come from the Kokin Wakashu; some date from the Edo era. The "blossom" poems consist mainly of "waka"by Ki-no-Tsurayuki, but there are also works by Ki-no-Tomonori, Sojo Henjo and Kiyohara-no-Fukayabu as well as some of unknown authorship. Almost all of the "love" poems in the third volume sing of fleeting or unfulfilled romance and were composed by anonymous poets.
Our library also holds the first volume of German translation prepared by Manfred Schneider and published in the same format in 1914 (Taisho 3). |
