Chūzan Denshinroku Bussanko (Treaties on the Products of Chūzan Kingdom in Ryūkyū 中山伝信録物産考)

Title

Creator

Tamura, Ransui (田村藍水) 1718-1776

Date

1769

Format

Rare book

Description

A rare book by a botanist and physician of the Edo government. Tamura Ransui was known as the first botanist to succeed in growing ginseng (Chōsen ninjin) domestically. He authored many books on crop production in Japan. In this book, he deals with products of Ryūkyū. There are 39 drawings of various produce, 77 plants, 18 birds and other creatures. All drawings are nicely colored with explanatory notes, giving the corresponding names in Japanese. Later in 1771, Tamura also authored an extensive 15 volume series of Ryūkyūan products based on a collection of more than a thousand specimens.

Extent (Pages, Duration, Dimensions)

3 volumes

Is Part Of

Asia - Japan Collection, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library

Page Location

106

Collection

Treasures from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Library

Citation

Tamura, Ransui (田村藍水) 1718-1776, “Chūzan Denshinroku Bussanko (Treaties on the Products of Chūzan Kingdom in Ryūkyū 中山伝信録物産考),” UHM Library Digital Image Collections, accessed November 21, 2024, https://digital.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/show/31876.

Comments

Laura Nuffer

Just pointing out a tiny missed detail: Although the text states that Tamura Ransui was "the first botanist to succeed in growing carrots domestically," he was actually the first botanist to succeed in growing Korean ginseng domestically. Confusingly, the word for "carrot" and the word for "Korean ginseng" are homophones— ninjin—and although kanji would disambiguate, in both cases it is often spelled phonetically in katakana. Ginseng was used medicinally, but it had to be imported from the Asian mainland; the shogun Yoshimune pushed for it to be grown within Japan, which was easier said than done—it grows slowly and only under very specific conditions.