English Grass Paper - Hanabusa Soushi

A reading book from the Edo period. Written by Kinro Gyoja (Tsuga Teisho). Five volumes and five books. A square book called "Kokin Kidan." Published in 1749 (Kan'en 2) by Osaka Kikuya Sobei and others. It is one of three books, along with "Shige Shigeyawa" and "Hitsujigusa." It consists of nine stories, including "Emperor Godaigo's Third Refusal to Admonish Fujifusa," and all of them are Japanese adaptations of stories from Chinese vernacular and literary novels such as "Yuseimeigen," "Keisei Tsugen," and "Seisakougi," and occupies an important place in the history of reading books as the first of its kind. Its style, which was outstanding at the time, included a solid structure, a display of knowledge of Japanese and Chinese, clear allegory, detailed depictions of human feelings, and a mixture of Japanese and Chinese that was close to reading Chinese texts in Japanese, and it had a great influence on Ueda Akinari, Santo Kyoden, Kyokutei Bakin, and others.

[Takeshi Tokuda]

"English Grassroots" annotated and translated by Yukihiko Nakamura (included in "Complete Works of Japanese Classical Literature 48", 1973, Shogakukan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の読本(よみほん)。近路行者(きんろぎょうじゃ)（都賀庭鐘(つがていしょう)）作。五巻五冊。角書(つのがき)「古今奇談」。1749年（寛延2）大坂菊屋惣兵衛(そうべえ)等刊。『繁野話(しげしげやわ)』『莠句冊(ひつじぐさ)』と並んで三部作をなす。「後醍醐(ごだいご)帝三たび藤房(ふじふさ)の諫(いさめ)を折話(くじくこと)」を初めとして全九話からなり、いずれも『喩世明言(ゆせいめいげん)』『警世通言(けいせいつうげん)』『青瑣高議(せいさこうぎ)』などの中国の白話(はくわ)・文言(ぶんげん)小説の話を日本風に翻案し、読本の嚆矢(こうし)として読本史に重要な位置を占める。堅固な構成、和漢の知識の開陳、明確な寓意(ぐうい)、人情の委曲な描写、漢文訓読に近い和漢混交体などの作風は、当時ぬきんでたものであったので、上田秋成(あきなり)、山東京伝(さんとうきょうでん)、曲亭馬琴(ばきん)らに多大な影響を与えた。

［徳田　武］

『中村幸彦校注・訳『英草紙』（『日本古典文学全集48』所収・1973・小学館）』

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