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A Case Study of Takara-Bako and Oshie-Gusa

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A Case Study of Takara-Bako and Oshie-Gusa POPULAR EDUCATIONAL BOOKS FOR WOMEN AS CULTURAL COMMODITIES IN EARLY MODERN JAPAN: A CASE STUDY OF TAKARA-BAKO AND OSHIE-GUSA by Saeko Suzuki A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) May 2016 © Saeko Suzuki, 2016 Abstract This project examines joshiyō ōrai-mono (popular educational publications for women in early modern Japan) as cultural commodities in the transmission of knowledge in relation to three areas: texts/illustrations, commercial publishers, and readers as clients. It also seeks to understand that woodblock prints have the characteristics of repeatable commodities. The project focuses on two encyclopaedia-type joshiyō ōrai-mono books: the 1814 edition of Onna daigaku takara-bako or The Treasure Box of the Women’s Greater Learning, and the second edition of Onna daigaku oshie-gusa or The Elementary Textbook of the Women’s Greater Learning, published in the mid-1840s. Comparing the two books reveals some notable issues. First, the commonality of the contents and physical characteristics of the two books shows that their publisher, Izumiya Ichibē, reused the texts, and copied the design of Takara-bako, a best-selling ōrai-mono, to produce his new book Oshie-gusa. Second, previous scholarship that has developed the literary genre framework for early modern print books cannot always explain the encyclopaedia type of popular educational materials because of their cross-genre characteristics. Third, Takara-bako emphasizes knowledge of waka poetry for female readers as well as providing the list of major female occupation catalogue in that period. Fourth, Oshie-gusa increased the practical contents such as Yin-yang divination and male-female compatibility as a handbook of marriage and family. Fifth, both books stress clothing-related matters, advocating not only household responsibilities but also female virtue based on neo-Confucianist ideology. The comparative analysis of Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa as cultural commodities has demonstrated the commercialization of knowledge in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868). ii Understanding the mechanisms of commercialization of printed knowledge can help us understand knowledge transmission that is de-commercialized or commercialized in different ways in electronic environments. iii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by author, Saeko Suzuki. iv Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ...........................................................................................................................v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. viii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 The Purpose of the Project ................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Previous Studies ................................................................................................................. 4 1.2.1 Print Books Discourses ............................................................................................... 4 1.2.2 Previous Studies and Joshiyō Ōrai-mono ................................................................... 6 1.2.3 Literary Studies and Joshiyō Ōrai-mono .................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Publishers as Cultural Producers in Early Modern Japan ..................................13 2.1 Publishers and Genres ...................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Publishers for Scholarly Books and Popular Books ................................................. 13 2.1.2 Genres of Print Books ............................................................................................... 15 2.2 Publishers and Ōrai-mono ............................................................................................... 23 2.3 Kashiwaraya Seiemon and Izumiya Ichibē ...................................................................... 25 2.4 Publishers as Block Holders ............................................................................................ 31 Chapter 3: Comparing the Contents of Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa ....................................34 3.1 The Contents of Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa as Encyclopaedias for Women .............. 36 v 3.2 The Major Contents in Takara-bako ................................................................................ 39 3.2.1 The Contents of Waka ............................................................................................... 39 3.2.2 Female Occupations .................................................................................................. 43 3.3 Oshie-gusa as a Chōhōki .................................................................................................. 46 3.3.1 Handbook of Marriage and Family ........................................................................... 48 3.3.2 Male-Female Compatibility and Astrological Calendar ........................................... 52 Chapter 4: The Clothing-Related Matters in Joshiyō Ōrai-mono ...........................................55 4.1 Content Comparison of Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa .................................................... 55 4.2 Clothing-Related Matters as Duties for Women .............................................................. 57 4.3 Reuse of Texts in Joshiyō Ōrai-mono Books .................................................................. 60 4.3.1 Quotations from Japanese Myths .............................................................................. 60 4.3.2 Izumiya’s Selection ................................................................................................... 61 4.4 Historical Background ..................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 5: Further Considerations ............................................................................................68 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................72 Appendices ....................................................................................................................................77 Appendix A Texts of the Clothing-related Matter Sections ..................................................... 77 A.1 Original texts ............................................................................................................... 77 A.2 Translations ............................................................................................................... 103 Appendix B Texts of the Clothing-Related Matters in The Women’s Greater Learning ....... 125 B.1 Original texts ............................................................................................................. 125 vi List of Tables Table 2.1 Classifications of mono no hon from 1666 to 1754 by Nakano Mitsutoshi. ................ 21 Table 2.2 Classifications of jihon from 1783 to 1838 by Nakano Mitsutoshi. ............................. 23 Table 3.1 Comparison of Imprint between Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa. ................................... 35 Table 3.2 Comparison of Subjects of Articles between Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa. ............... 38 Table 3.3 Comparison of the Contents of Waka between Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa. ............ 41 Table 3.4 Encyclopaedias in Early Modern Japan. ....................................................................... 47 Table 4.1 Clothing-Related Articles in Takara-bako and Oshie-gusa. ........................................ 56 vii List of Figures Figure 1.1 Relationship Between joshiyō ōrai-mono, jokun-sho, and Joshiyō ōrai-mono. ............ 9 Figure 2.1 A Three Story Layout in Onna daigaku takara-bako. 1814. ...................................... 30 Figure 2.2 A Three Story Layout in Onna daigaku takara-beki. 1751-1763. .............................. 31 Figure 3.1 Eisen’s Illustration in Onna daigaku oshie-gusa. Not before 1843. ........................... 50 Figure 3.2 Eisen’s Illustration in Onna daigaku oshie-gusa. Not before 1843. ........................... 51 viii Acknowledgements This project could not have been completed without the support of many people. First, I would like to express heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Joshua S. Mostow for his guidance and the many useful comments and suggestions he provided. Dr. Mostow was also very kind in allowing me to examine his personal collection of Japanese premodern educational books, which includes the 1814 edition of Onna daigaku takara-bako (The Treasure Box of the Women’s Greater
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