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Ever since the Chinese novel Shui Hu Zhuan (Water Margin) first appeared in the form of a published book in the Ming period, it has remained a widely popular read. In addition, various editions have been published according to particular needs of the time. That is to say, under the same title of Shui Hu Zhuan, there exist versions that differ with regard to the length, description, and content.
The University of Tokyo possesses many different editions of Shui Hu Zhuan including rare ones that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. An important reason behind establishing this collection was the aspiration to make such assets of the University widely available to researchers and general readers throughout the world and present them as viable and easily accessible research resources for the academic community. High-definition digital images that can be accessed and viewed in every tiny detail from anywhere without damaging the actual source material have proved to be the most useful and timely tool.
After Shui Hu Zhuan arrived in Japan in the Edo period, it became highly popular here too, with various editions read and studied all around the country. As for the copies of Shui Hu Zhuan in the possession of the University of Tokyo, different versions are found among books once owned by MORI Ogai , KODA Rohan , TOKUGAWA Yorimichi , etc.
Among the editions of Shui Hu Zhuan in the possession of the University of Tokyo, there are some with notes of their former owners, which attests to them being devout readers of the novel. Some notes indicate an academic interest from a perspective of a professional researcher, while others manifest the true delight of a fan. This conveys the overall feeling that Shui Hu Zhuan had firmly taken root among the Japanese.
ARAKI Tatsuo (Project Research Fellow)
＊This is an English translation of a Japanese article from the “Catalog of the University of Tokyo Asian Research Library Digital Collections 2017–2023” published on 29 February 2024. For more information about the catalog, please click here.
March 22, 2024