Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum

Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum No. 46

The “Kansō-Roku”, written by KŌUN-DŌ Kanpo (pseudonym), is known as a sole woodcut fossil shell book in the Yedo Period. First, we reprinted the full-text and translated the major parts in modern language. Then, we studied this book from the view-points of paleontology and Japanese literature. As the result of the present study, the following matters have been clarified:

1）The introduction by KIUCHI Sekitei was written at demand by request from a certain fossil enthusiast SHŌHŌ-DŌ Keizan of the Owari Prov.

2）The identity of Kanpo is TAKEUCHI Sōsuke (?–1816), a haikai poet and a headman of Matsubara Village in the Sanuki Prov.

3）112 lots of specimens mainly from the Permian to Pleistocene formations are illustrated.

4）Donners of fossil specimens are considered to include members of the “Rōseki-Sha” hosted by Sekitei, Keizan’s acquaintances, and Kanpo’s friends.

5）The included poems are mostly written on bamboos and autumn.

6）There are only five common persons between fossil donners and poem writers.

7）The “Kansō-Roku” is a “chimera” book between an illustrated fossil shell book and a collection of poems.

8）The “Kansō-Roku” is probably a commemorative publication of Kanpo’s receiving the privilege of wearing a pair of swords (“Taitō-Gomen”) in 1804.