Until recently, six Japanese manuscript codices and scrolls lay unnoticed and half-forgotten on a shelf in the Grolier Club. When Library staff came to them while updating the Club's manuscripts inventory, they found little or no information about them. Fellow members Megumi and Jonathan Hill of Jonathan A. Hill, Booksellers Inc., generously donated their time and expertise to examine and describe these hidden gems for the Club so that all members could better appreciate them. We are sharing their descriptions in a series of blog posts, and this is the second, describing a beautiful, miniature book of poetry in a "butterfly" binding (detchoso).

An opening of Sanjurokunin utaawase ([Japan]: mid-Edo period). Grolier MS 24.

Grolier MS. 24

Sanjurokunin utaawase.  Manuscript on paper, entitled on manuscript label on upper cover "Sanjurokunin utaawase" ["36 Immortal Poets"].  22 leaves, including four blanks, two at beginning, two at end.  12mo (62 x 45m.), orig. silk brocade over boards, butterfly binding (detchoso), gilt patterned pastedown endpapers with seasonal nature scenes of flowers. [Japan]: mid-Edo.

The covers are connected along turn-ins that are visible in the central opening of the book.
Gold endleaves with painted vignettes of flowers.
Front cover with title label.

In the late 9th century, a new kind of poetry competition was developed in Japan: the utaawase.  Themes were determined and a poet chosen from each team wrote a waka (a poem) for each given theme. The host appointed a judge for each theme and gave points to the winning team. The team which received the largest number of points was the winner.  At first, utaawase was simply a playful entertainment, but as the poetic tradition deepened and developed, it turned into a serious aesthetic contest, with considerably more formality.  The tradition continued well into the 19th century.

The 36 Immortals of Poetry (Sanjūrokkasen) are a group of Japanese poets of the Asuka, Nara, and Heian periods selected by Fujiwara no Kinto as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability.  In the 18 competitions in the present work, one poem each of two poets is presented on opposing sides of each opening, in competition.

On the final leaf, there is an inscription: "Saki no chunagon Suge Nagayoshi / shichijussai sho no" ["Former Counselor of the Second Rank in the Imperial Court, Nagaso Kan / wrote this at age 70"].  Nagayoshi Suge died in 1737 and this is most probably a copy of his manuscript.

The colophon (trans.): "Former Counselor of the Second Rank in the Imperial Court, Nagaso Kan / wrote this at age 70". Sanjurokunin utaawase ([Japan]: mid-Edo period). Grolier MS 24.

Description courtesy of Jonathan and Megumi Hill, 9 September 2021.