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"The first botanical encyclopedia in Japan"
(Taisho Edition)
at Ginnosuzu Gallery, Kamakura
The first botanical encyclopedia in Japan
Honzou-Zufu
Honzou-Zufu is the first illustrated encyclopedia of Japanese Flora in 92 volumes covering over 2000 species of plants. It was written and illustrated by Kan’en (Tsunemasa) Iwasaki and completed in 1828 after twenty years of effort. As for plant classification, Iwasaki followed Honzo Koumoku written by Li Shi Zhen in China in 1590, which had a great influence on the study of botany and natural history in Japan. It is classified under medicinal interest for human health and is quite different from the Linnaean classification system.
Honzou-Zufu (Taisho Edition, 1916-1921) is a woodblock print copied directly from the manuscript. The only preceding publication made in the late Edo period, was six volumes from Book V (5) to Book X (10) with uncolored plates. When publishing the Taisho edition, the editor Yonetarou Iwamoto made a great effort to obtain the original manuscripts of the plates, which consisted of more than 2000 blocks necessary to finish the complete collection. Considering the processes involved in making the blocks and the craftsmanship of engravers and printers, it is a set of works almost impossible to realize today.
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