Japanese Architectural Texts

Some years ago I purchased a number of old Japanese texts on architecture, furniture, textiles and carpentry. This was way before the current western interest in traditional Japanese woodworking. A few of the texts I sold and some I kept. Being the former librarian that I am, those I sold were first scanned for my archives. While organizing said archives, I came upon those scans. 

Over on Reddit there is a subreddit r/translator, the place for having text and images translated to and from whatever language is unknown. At first I wasn't sure if anyone there could translate some of the older texts. Not a problem. There are a few Redditors there who took the challenges and came through! Lucky me, lucky you.

The translation of the image at the head of this post reads:

"Hiwada" or "Hikawa", referring to the bark of the Hinoki Cypress tree. Traditionally, it is used on the roofs of temples and shrines. However in this image, it appears as if the bark is applied to a fence."

I'm now working on properly translated reprints, most likely in high res PDF and maybe in print too. This post is the first of what will be an ongoing series of translations of various pages and texts as I work on them.

Having recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, my blogging is dependent on how I feel at the moment. Let's say that this work is my cognitive therapy!

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Way back then,  I was fortunate to have Sachie Noguchi of Columbia University date and translate the title and author pages of the texts. Here is Professor Naguchi's bio:

SACHIE NOGUCHI (野口幸生) grew up in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, and studied at Keio University, where she received a dual undergraduate degree in both Library Science and Japanese Literature. Later, she received an MA in Library Science from McGill University and another in Sociology from the University of British Columbia. She was Japanese Cataloger at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana from 1984-88 and Japanese Bibliographer-Cataloger & Coordinator for the Japan Information Center (JIC) at the University of Pittsburgh from 1988-2004. Noguchi served as Chair of the North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC) from 2001-04 and took on many other roles in the organization, including co-Chair of the MVS (Multi-Volume Sets) committee and co-coordinator of the JAC project. She also initiated NCC’s Librarian Professional Development Committee (now Working Group) and acted as an ongoing consultant for the group. Noguchi was Japanese Studies Librarian at Columbia University from 2004-18, officially retiring in 2019.

In no particular order, here are Professor Naguchi's translations of the title and colophon pages:

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Text 1:

Title page title: Daiku shinsen hinagata  [Newly selected carpentry models (consisting of  5 parts)]  新撰大工雛形

Title slip [on the cover] title: Shinsen hinagata. 1. Miya-gata  [ 1. Shrine models]   新撰雛形 1. 宮形

Author: Kogure, Jinshichi  木暮甚七

Preface: Hōreki 8 [1758]  -- considered that this writing was established   宝暦八

Text 2:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Shinsen hinagata. 3. Dō-gata  [ 3. Hall (can be temple and/or shrine) models]  新撰雛形　3. 堂形

 -- Table of contents for volume 3 follows

Text 3:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Shinsen hinagata. 2. Mon-gata  [ 2. Gate models]  新撰雛形 2. 門形

-- Table of contents for volume 2 follows

Text 4:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Shinpan Kotsubo kiku  [Measurements of furnitures]   新板小坪規矩

2nd page: name and address of the owner of this book : (Nara-ken Yoshino … Daiku (carpenter)  Tagami Yoshigorō (or Kichigorō)

3^rd page: table of contents follows

Text 5:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Banjō machiya hinagata. Ge [Models of merchant houses. Volume  2]  番匠町家雛形 下

Colophon : Author : Hirooka Yasunori  廣岡保教

 Publishing inf.  [Edo] : Suharaya Mohei, Meiwa 7 [1770]   [江戸] : 須原屋茂兵衛, 明和七 [1770]

Text 6:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Banjō machiya hinagata. Jō [Models of merchant houses. Volume  1]  番匠町家雛形　上

 Author (p. 3) : Hirooka Yasunori  廣岡保教

P. 5 : name and address of the owner of this book  (Nara-ken Yoshino … Daiku (carpenter)  Tagami Yoshigorō (or Kichigorō)

Text 7:

p. 1:  Shijūhachidana mokuroku  [ Table of contents of 48 shelves]

[Note: this book seems no publication information available.  One of copy in Japan indicated that published in Kanbun 1 [1661] ; another copy indicated Teikyō 3 [1686]]

Text 8:

Title slip [on the cover] title: Narumikata. Go [Narumikata. 5] なるみかた　五

Author (in colophon) : Odagiri Shunkō  小田切春江

Publication (p.3) : Kyōto : Unsōdō, Meiji 16 [1883]   京都　芸艸堂　明治十六

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Stay tuned, lots more to come. You can find this ongoing series under Japanese Architecture in the Categories and the Departments side bar lists.