, ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings.
According to the 1871 edition of the ''
American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran'' was one of very few books about Japan available in the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. .
Prepared under the patronage of the ''tairō'' Sakai Tadakatsu
The material selected for inclusion in the narrative reflects the perspective of its original Japanese author and his
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...
patron, the ''
tairō''
Sakai Tadakatsu, who was ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...
'' of the
Obama Domain of
Wakasa Province. It was the first book of its type to be brought from Japan to Europe, and was translated into French as "''Nipon o daï itsi ran''".
Dutch Orientalist and scholar
Isaac Titsingh
Isaac Titsingh FRS ( January 1745 – 2 February 1812) was a Dutch diplomat, historian, Japanologist, and merchant.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Isaak Titsingh" in . During a long career in East Asia, Titsingh was a senior official of the ...
brought the seven volumes of ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran'' with him when he returned to Europe in 1797 after twenty years in the Far East. All these books were lost in the turmoil of the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, but Titsingh's French translation was posthumously published.
The manuscript languished after Titsingh's death in 1812; but the project was revived when the
Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland sponsored printing and publication in Paris with distribution to be handled from London. The Paris-based philologist and orientalist
Julius Klaproth was engaged to shepherd the text into its final printed form in 1834, including a ''Supplément aux Annales des
Daïri'', which generally mirrors the pattern of Titsingh's initial ''Annales des empereurs du Japon;'' and the reach of this additional material stretches thinly through the 18th century history of Japan.
First book of its type to be published in the West
This became the first Japanese-authored historical account of its sort to be published and circulated for scholarly study in the West. It is fitting that this rare book was selected as one of the first to be scanned and uploaded for online study as part of an ongoing international digitization project which has now been renamed the
Google Books Library Project
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...
:
::
Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834).
iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō (1652)">Hayashi_Gahō.html" ;"title="iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō">iyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō (1652) ''Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J.
Klaproth.'' Paris: Royal Asiatic Society">Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Irelandbr>
--''Two copies of this rare book have now been made available online: (1) from the library of the University of Michigan, digitized January 30, 2007; and (2) from the library of Stanford University, digitized June 23, 2006.'' Click here to read the original text in French.
Work on this volume was substantially complete in 1783 when Titsingh sent a manuscript copy to Kutsuki Masatsuna, daimyo of Tamba. Masatsuna's comments on this text were lost in a shipwreck as the edited manuscript was being forwarded from Japan to India in 1785 where Titsingh had become head of the Dutch East Indies Company trade operations at
Hooghly (town), Hoogly in
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...
. The final version of Titsingh's dedication of the book to his friend Masatsuna was drafted in 1807, a little more than a quarter-century before the book was eventually published.
17th-century text in Japanese and Chinese
The original multi-volume text was compiled in the early 1650s by
Hayashi Gahō. His father,
Hayashi Razan, had developed a compelling, practical blending of
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...
and
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
beliefs and practices. Razan's ideas lent themselves to a well-accepted program of samurai and bureaucrat educational, training and testing protocols. In 1607, Razan was accepted as a political advisor to the second shōgun,
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
. Sometime thereafter, he became the rector of Edo's Confucian Academy, the
Shōhei-kō. This institution stood at the apex of the country-wide educational and training system which was created and maintained by the Tokugawa shogunate.
In the elevated context his father engendered, Gahō himself was also accepted as a noteworthy scholar in that period. The Hayashi and the Shōheikō links to the work's circulation are part of the explanation for this work's 18th and 19th century popularity. Gahō was also the author of other works designed to help readers learn from Japan's history, including the 310 volumes of ''The Comprehensive History of Japan'' (本朝通鑑/ほんちょうつがん, ''Honchō-tsugan'') which was published in 1670.
The narrative of ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran'' stops around 1600, most likely in deference to the sensibilities of the Tokugawa regime. Gahō's text did not continue up through his present day; but rather, he terminated the chronicles just before the last pre-Tokugawa ruler.
In ''
Keian 5'', 5th month (1652), ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran'' was first published in
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...
under the patronage of one of the three most powerful men in the Tokugawa bakufu, the ''
tairō'' Sakai Tadakatsu. In supporting this work, Sakai Todakatsu's motivations appear to spread across a range anticipated consequences; and it becomes likely that his several intentions in seeing that this specific work fell into the hands of an empathetic Western translator were similarly multi-faceted.
Gahō's book was published in the mid-17th century and it was reissued in 1803, "perhaps because it was a necessary reference work for officials."
[ Screech, Timon. (2006). ''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.'' p. 65.] Contemporary readers must have found some degree of usefulness in this chronicle; and those who ensured that this particular manuscript made its way into the hands of Isaac Titsingh must have been persuaded that something of value could become accessible for readers in the West.
Post-Meiji scholars who have cited ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran'' as a useful source of information include, for example,
Richard Ponsonby-Fane
Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane (8 January 1878 – 10 December 1937) was a British academic, author, specialist of Shinto and Japanologist.
Early years
Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born at Gravesend on the south bank of the Th ...
in ''Kyoto: the Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.'' The American poet
Ezra Pound
Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works includ ...
, writing to a contemporary Japanese poet in 1939, confirmed that his reference library included a copy of ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran.'' At that time, Pound explained that "as far as
e hadtime to read", the work seemed a "mere chronicle." However, modern literary critics have demonstrated by textual comparisons that Pound relied on Titsingh's French translation in crafting some sections of the ''Cantos.''
19th century translation in French
Titsingh's translation was eventually published in Paris in 1834 under the titl
''Annales des empereurs du Japon'' The 1834 printing incorporates a slim "supplement" with material which post-dates Titsingh's departure from Japan in 1784. This additional section of the book was not the product of translation, but must have been informed by oral accounts or correspondence with Japanese friends or European colleagues still in Japan.
Titsingh worked on this translation for years before his death; and in those final years in Paris, he shared his progress with orientalists
Julius Klaproth and
Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat, who would edit his first published posthumous book: ''Mémoires et anecdotes sur la dynastie régnante des djogouns'' (Memoirs and anecdotes on the reigning dynasty of shōguns). Rémusat would later become the first professor of Chinese language at the
Collège de France
The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris ...
. Titsingh's correspondence with
William Marsden, a
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as ...
colleague in the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
in London, provides some insight into the translator's personal appreciation of the task at hand. In an 1809 letter, he explains:
::"Accompanying I offer you the three first volumes of ''
ihon Ōdai Ichiran' ... Notwithstanding the clouds of darkness
oncerningthe origin of the Japanese ...,
heprogressive detail of the various occurrences spread much light on the customs still prevailing, and fully proves, they have been already a civilized and enlightened nation at the time our modern empires were either unknown, or plunged in the utmost barbarism ... We are no prophets. We cannot foretell what at a more distant period is to happen; but for the present, it is a fact
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mech ...
nobody exists in Europe but me, who can
rovidesuch an ample and faithful detail about a nation, quite unknown here, though fully deserving to be so in every respect." – Isaac Titsingh
Klaproth dedicated the book to
George Fitz-Clarence, the
Earl of Munster
Earl of Munster was a title created twice, once in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1789 in favour of Prince William, the third son of King George III. He was made Duke of Claren ...
, who was Vice President of the
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...
and also a Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the
Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. The fund had sponsored Klaproth's work and was the principal underwriter of the publication costs
Critical analysis
Japanologist
John Whitney Hall, in his Harvard-Yenching monograph on
Tanuma Okitsugu assessed the utility of this translation and its context:
::These few examples of the outstanding contacts which Titsingh records suffice to give us an idea of the intimate associations which the Japanese had established with the Dutch at this time, associations from which the Dutch were also to gain a great deal. Titsingh's ''Illustrations of Japan'' shows the result of careful translation from Japanese sources, as does also the posthumous ''Annales des Empereurs du Japon'', which is a translation of the ''Ōdai-ichiran.'' Titsingh's ability to take away without molestation numerous books on Japan as well as maps and drawings of the Japanese islands illustrates the liberal state of affairs at Nagasaki.
[ Hall, John Whitney. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719-1788'', pp. 94-95.]
Isaac Titsingh himself considered the ''Nihon odai ichiran'' fairly dry. He viewed the work of translation as "a most tedious task".
See also
*
Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo
The is a research institution affiliated with the University of Tokyo that is devoted to the analysis, compilation, and publication of historical source materials concerning Japan. Since its foundation in 1869, the Institute has been a major cen ...
*
International Research Center for Japanese Studies
*
Historiography of Japan
Notes
References
* Brownlee, John S. (1997) ''Japanese Historians and the National Myths, 1600–1945: The Age of the Gods and Emperor Jimmu.'' Vancouver:
University of British Columbia Press
The University of British Columbia Press (UBC Press) is a university press that is part of the University of British Columbia. It was established in 1971. The press is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and has editorial offices in Kel ...
. Tokyo:
University of Tokyo Press.
* __________. (1991). ''Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From Kojiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712).'' Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
*
Hall, John Whitney. (1955). ''Tanuma Okitsugu, 1719-1788.'' Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the reti ...
.
* Leguin, Frank, ed. (1990). ''Private Correspondence of Isaac Titsingh.'' Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben.
*
Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the reti ...
.
OCLC 48943301*
Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956)
''Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869.''Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 36644* Ripley, George. (1871)
''The American Cyclopaedia: a Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge'', vol. 9.New York: Appleton
OCLC 46337599*
Screech, Timon. (2006)
''Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.''London:
RoutledgeCurzon.
*
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Nihon Odai Ichiran''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.'' Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691* Yamashita, Samuel Hideo. "Yamasaki Ansai and Confucian School Relations, 1650–1675" in ''Early Modern Japan'', (Fall 2001). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
External links
*Manuscrip
scans Waseda University Library【続日本王代一覧】
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nihon Odai Ichiran
Edo-period works
German orientalists
Historiography of Japan
17th-century history books
1834 books
Edo-period history books