earticle

한국어

This paper examines 659 types and 3,592 volumes of old books housed at the Seikado Bunko Library in Tokyo, Japan, focusing on their thematic and edition-based characteristics. The findings indicate that the Korean old books in the Seikado Bunko Library predominantly date back to the late Joseon Dynasty, but the library also holds a relatively high number of earlier publications or complete editions that are rare even in Korea. Additionally, the overall preservation status of these books is relatively good. Many of the books have been re-covered or modified with Japanese-style or Chinese-style bindings. The thematic characteristics of the Korean old books in the Seikado Bunko Library are categorized under the Four Divisions of Confucian Classics (四部). Among them, 28 types belong to the Classics Division (經部), 239 to the History Division (史部), 64 to the Philosophical Works Division (子部), 279 to the Literary Works Division (集部), and 49 to the Anthologies Division (叢書部). The History Division constitutes a relatively large proportion. Within specific categories, the Collected Works category (別集類) has the largest quantity, primarily consisting of literary collections published during the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition, the Classics Division includes books on the Confucian scriptures and rituals, the History Division features biographical works, miscellaneous historical accounts, political legal works, and Geographical records, and the Philosophical Works Division contains Confucian philosophical books. The notable abundance of biographical works, political legal works, Geographical records, and miscellaneous historical accounts in the History Division, excluding the Collected Works category, reveals some distinctive thematic tendencies compared to Korean old books generally collected and passed down through other repositories. Regarding the editions, manuscript copies are the most numerous, with 229 types, followed by woodblock prints, metal type prints, wooden movable type prints, and facsimiles, in that order. Seven metal type prints from the early Joseon period were identified, including two prints from the Eulhae-ja series, two prints from the mid-16th-century Chojugap-in-ja series, two prints from the Gapjin-ja series, and one print from the Byeongja-ja series. In addition, multiple metal type prints from the late Joseon period, such as books from the Mujeong-ja, Hangoo-ja, Kyoseogwan-inso-che-ja, Jungyu-ja, Imjin-ja, Jeongni-ja, and Junsa-ja series, have been preserved. These materials are valuable for understanding the trends in metal type printing during the late Joseon period.