Colours of Armour Lacing Kojitsusōsho. Shōko yoroi-iro ichiran

[Baka Gaijin]

Here's a visual treat in two volumes:

 

 尚古鎧色一覧   Shōko Gaishoku ichiran

 

Colours of Ancient Armour lacing.

 

Fom Waseda University Library

 

Volume 1:

 

http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/ke05/ke05_00230/ke05_00230_0002/ke05_00230_0002.html

 

Volume 2:

 

http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/ke05/ke05_00230/ke05_00230_0001/ke05_00230_0001.html

[TETSUGENDO]

Great material Malcolm.

 

Cheers,

    -S-

[uwe]

Thanks Malcolm, nice find!

I think I’ve seen that before, but can not remember where....

[Luc T]

Malcolm, can you give a bit of explanation?

[Guest]

Good morning StevenK, Luc & Uwe.,

 

It's said to be originally from 本朝軍器考(新井君美)  Honchō-gun-ki kō (Arai-kun-bi) better known as 新井 白石 Arai Hakuseki  (1657 - 1725)

 

However read on and, with JoA's help,  we've discovered something rather special.

 

The National Diet Library has  a photostat of a reprint of the 2 volumes from c.1901 in the section relating to Arai Hakuseki

 

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/771930?fbclid=IwAR33JbWXI7qi_TPiFrT7-BFRihnrIqAGebrfuvzOLeyATnRq0DulNyLe_XI

 

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/771931?fbclid=IwAR3N523sUEDzrlrUZ9rPVX2xiT5Vfg62mm3PwzxBCjer46vwTtdOw-K4hng

 

At the National Diet Library it is listed as: 故実叢書. 尚古鎧色一覧（本間百里） Kojitsusōsho. Shōko Gaishoko ichiran (Honma Hyakuri) 

 

The publisher of the c.1901 reprint in Tokyo is down as 吉川弘文館 Yoshikawa Koubunkan

 

The compiler is down as   今泉, 定助,  Imaizumi, Sadasuke  (1863-1944)

 

本間百里 Honma Hyakuri  shows as a late Edo publisher of books c.1850

 

The colour versions at Waseda Uni say pretty much the same

 

Parts of it featured in:

 

The armour book in Honcho-Gunkiko Hakuseki,. Arai

Published by The Holland Press, London UK, 1964

 

Edited by H Russell Robinson

 

Here's one on Grey's excellent site:

 

  http://www.japaneseswordbooksandtsuba.com/store/books/b547-armour-book-honcho-gunkiko-hakuseki

 

 

Oh, and here's one volume for sale in Japan:

 

https://www.kosho.or.jp/products/detail.php?product_id=62366196

 

 

(Thanks to JoA for his input)

[IanB]

Malcolm,  I think there is, or was, a copy in the Royal Armouries' library. There were a lot of such old Japanese books but they disappeared when H. Russell-Robinson died (long before my time there). I think they were his own personal copies and his wife pulled them out. I ended up finding the two volume work on 'The Lives of common soldiers' that had been his which I bought in a shop in Nottingham of all places.

Ian

[Guest]

Good morning Ian.,

 

I trust you and God's own County are both bathed in sunlight, and the gentle lilt of a Banjo seamlessly melds with the sound of a whippet barking in the middle distance, whilst Campari chills, awaiting both Sun and Yardarm to come to perfect balance.

 

For years, I assumed that HRR was BWR's brother. 

 

What is the title of "The lives of common Soldiers" in Japanese please.

[Luc T]

right, I own a copy of Arai Hakuseki's honcho hon kiko...  that's where it comes form. Thank You!

[Luc T]

the problem with too many books is that when you finish the last one, you forgot the first so you can start all over... quite frustrating if you aske me 

[JoA]

Malcolm,

 

Excellent find.

 

Small correction though, the title is "shōko gaishoku ichiran".

The original (as in your Waseda link) is from 1833 (very rare now as you can also see in your link to the one for sale). The reprint is from 1901.

 

Are you sure about the link with the Honchō gunkikō? (I mean the original, not the one from H.R. Robinson)

 

Jo

p.s. The title of the ashigaru book is 雑兵物語

[Guest]

Thank You very much Jo, 

 

I see my mistake, I read the Kun readings for  鎧 色. and was beguiled ....  

 

As to the link with  Honchō Gunkikō, I was going on the illustrations in H Russell Robinson's Book which I mentioned above.

 

But it's worth a bit more digging to get to the truth of it.

 

And also thank you for  雑兵物語  Zōhyō monogatari

 

Which I have already found about two years ago at the NDL: 

 

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/2609247?tocOpened=1&fbclid=IwAR3kqVMWxJsqkC0j7u9rkYjgOkSpi4Fb9D9PjBgky5zEfRv0voFCT1j3wB8

 

There are some great illustrations in there.

[TETSUGENDO]

Malcolm,

 

Many thanks for all, the reading material, and the unexpected nostalgia.  

 

Cheers,

    -S-

p.s.-Campari and misspent youth....few made it to 11, let alone noon.

[IanB]

Yup, Zobyo Monogatari - its a late edition with the black and white illustrations. BTW. hate to have to say this but the Campari has gone to the back of the cupboard and I am now on Apero.

Ian

[TETSUGENDO]

Aperol is very pleasant straight, but on the rocks, or in a Negroni I still prefer Campari......If I'm looking to cut back on carbs/calories/alcohol, I simply drink less. 

 

-S-

[Guest]

Good afternoon Jo,

 

I have been on both databases at the NDL and Waseda most of the morning and It looks like the original attribution in the H Russell Robinson to Honcho Gunkiko and Arai Hakuseki is incorrect.

 

The original author is  Honma Hyakuri, first published in 1834, then reprinted in 1901 (According to Waseda) or c.1906 (according to NDL)

 

http://wine.wul.waseda.ac.jp/search/t?SEARCH=%E5%B0%9A%E5%8F%A4%E9%8E%A7%E8%89%B2%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7

 

http://dl.ndl.go.jp/search/searchResult?searchWord=%E5%B0%9A%E5%8F%A4%E9%8E%A7%E8%89%B2%E4%B8%80%E8%A6%A7&facetOpenedNodeIds=&featureCode=all&viewRestrictedList=0&pageNo=2

 

I've had a look of the sections depicting swords and armour in Honcho Gunkiko  and the style is totally different

 

I am now really interested to find out if this was a totally original work in 1834,  or whether there was something along the lines of O Uma Jirushi, but for armour lacing, which preceded it.

 

I'll keep you posted if something interesting surfaces. 

 

 

 

 

[JoA]

Malcolm,

 

I have a scroll somewhere with similar drawings but no idea about the date...

I checked in a book of 1952 where the Honcho Gunkiko is printed and could not find any such drawings.

 

I have somewhere a complete and old Honcho Gunkiko, but I can't remember where I put it.. Somewhere in a box as I live small and everything is in boxes So I can't check it to be 100% sure.

 

I will try to ask around as several years ago, this book was used in an armour meeting here in Japan to introduce sode, so somebody may have an idea what the real origin is, before 1833/4...

 

Jo

[Guest]

Brilliant! it would be really cool to find the original as an emakimono.......

[yellowcat]

I just came across this thread. I have the two volumes printed in 1901. Here is my video review.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=6-_-EJVSqsY&feature=emb_logo

 

 

Fe