Tsuga Garden Bell

A novelist from the mid-Edo period. Commonly known as Rokuzo, his given name was Teisho, and his pen name was Kosei. His pen names included Jusenkaku, Kinro Gyoja, Senri Namiko, Oe Gyonin, Soan, Shinikan, Sui, Kemonomura Tanzaburo, and Togashira Isshuko. He was from Osaka. He learned calligraphy and seal carving from the Shinko Mongol School, medicine from Kagawa Shuan, a master of ancient medicine, and was associated with Oeda Ryuho, a tea ceremony master who established the ancient art of incense. He seems to have studied Chinese classics from a member of the Sorai school in Kyoto. He was particularly fond of the Chinese vernacular literature that was popular at the time, and adapted it to write three novels: "Hanabusa Soushi" (published in 1749), "Shige Shigeyawa" (published in 1766), and "Hitsujigusa" (published in 1786). These were the beginnings of the yomihon (reading book), and they occupy an important place in the history of yomihon (reading books). He practiced medicine in Tenma, Osaka, and wrote "The Biography of the Popular Doctor Wang Giba" (published in 1763) based on the knowledge he gained, but he also wrote seal-carved books "The Complete Tang Famous Records" (published in 1741) and "The Han Period Records" (published in 1791), and studied Chinese arts and sciences such as touko and botany, and wrote "The Four Cicadas" (published in 1771) based on his knowledge of Chinese drama. The most significant of his works was the "Kangxi Dictionary" which he proofread and published in 1778 (7th year of the An'ei era). His erudition and insight in guiding Ueda Akinari in Chinese novels make him a leading figure in Osaka at the time.

[Takeshi Tokuda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸中期の小説家。通称は六蔵、庭鐘は名、字(あざな)は公声。十千閣、近路行者(きんろぎょうじゃ)、千里浪子、大江漁人、巣庵(そうあん)、辛夷館(しんいかん)、巣居、毛野村丹三郎、渡頭一舟子などの号をもつ。大坂の人。書と篆刻(てんこく)を新興蒙所(におうもうしょ)に、医を古医方の大家香川修庵に学び、また茶道家で香道の古法を興した大枝流芳と交わる。漢学は京都の徂徠(そらい)学派の者に学んだらしい。とくに当時流行の中国白話(はくわ)文学を愛好し、それを翻案して『英草紙(はなぶさそうし)』（1749刊）、『繁野話(しげしげやわ)』（1766刊）、『莠句冊(ひつじぐさ)』（1786刊）の三部の小説を著したが、これが読本(よみほん)の嚆矢(こうし)であって、読本史に占める位置は大きい。大坂・天満で医を開業し、その知識に基づいて『通俗医王耆婆(ぎば)伝』（1763刊）を著したが、かたわら篆刻の書『全唐名譜』（1741刊）、『漢季章譜』（1791刊）を著し、投壺(とうこ)、本草など広く中国の学芸を渉猟し、中国戯曲の知識に基づく『四鳴蝉(しめいぜん)』（1771刊）もある。なかでもっとも有意義の著作は『康煕(こうき)字典』を1778年（安永7）に校刊したもの。その博学と上田秋成(あきなり)に中国小説を指導した見識とは、当時の大坂の第一流の人物としてよい。

［徳田　武］

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