On the history of the Japanese book: Two illustrated woodcut editions of the Seiashō (Notes by a Frog from a Well) by poet Tonna (1289–1372)

Abstract

Secular book printing began to spread in Japan since the beginning of the 17th century. From the middle of the 17th century, woodcut was completely dominant. The repertoire of publications was wide, including old texts written long before the Tokugawa period. Since commercial printing assumed that the book would be bought, only relevant old texts were published. The printed edition significantly expanded the circle of readers of the book. The Seiashō (Notes by a Frog from a Well) by Tonna (1289–1372) belongs to the karon genre (treatises on poetry) and is a guide for aspiring poets writing waka (Japanese songs). The text was published for the first time in 1648 and the first illustrated edition appeared in 1686, reprinted in 1709. The illustrator is considered to be Hishikawa Moronobu (1618–1694), although the book does not contain the artist’s name. The second illustrated edition dates back to 1752. This edition uses illustrations by Tachibana Morikuni (1679–1748). In both editions, illustrations are made on separate sheets, occupying a whole page. The illustrations are monochrome and include a drawing (a landscape illustrating the text of the poem) and an inscription of the poem at the top. An analysis and comparison of these two editions makes it possible to see some trends related to both printing itself and a number of more general cultural issues. The understanding of authorship receives a «visible» embodiment: in the first edition, neither the author of the text, nor the artist are identified, while the colophon of the second edition contains the names of both. During the time that has elapsed between the release of these two editions, the role of illustrations has grown significantly. The edition of the end of the 17th century contains 24 illustrations, and the book was made in such a way that it can exist in a version without illustrations; there, illustrations play a supporting role. The edition of the mid-18th century contains 80 illustrations, and they can be distributed in the text of the book or concentrated in one place, making this edition close to the e-hon books.