架蔵『小源氏』考 : 梗概書と「源氏物語歌集」とのあわい

In this paper, I will introduce a manuscript titled “Ko-geiji.” It is a summary statement on “The Tale of Genji” thought to have been written in the early Edo period. It comprises two volumes, but the summary statement portion is small and brief. At first glance, it includes a conspicuously large number of Japanese poems, and we find the summary statement to have been edited with a plan to comprehensively cover Japanese poetry.
Although this book is a summary statement, it basically focuses only on scenes in which Japanese poems have been composed, and on briefly explaining the circumstances in which the poems have been composed as well as identifying the authors. In that sense, it can be said that it is a work in between a summary statement and poetry collection. As few characters are introduced, and there are cases where important events are not mentioned, readers who do not have basic knowledge of “The Tale of Genji” might be lost. On the other hand, it sometimes describes scenes in detail; however, this depends on the interest and preferences of the author. Thus, the book can be construed as a uniquely personalized summary statement.