~~ Unit 1868100334 ~~

Dajokan Nisshi

Unknown Number

 
Dajokan (Great Council):
Dajokan Nisshi (Gazette/Journal of the Great Council/Council of State), Kyoto (1868) and Tokyo (late 1868 forward), Murakami Kanbee - printer in Kyoto and Suwaraya Mohee - printer in Edo (Tokyo), Keio 4 (1868) through Meiji 10 (1877), 8vo (6 1/8 x 8 7/8 in - 15.5 x 22.5 cm), paper wraps, text entirely in Japanese, string tied, folded pages, high quality laid paper, woodblock printed, issued periodically, generally several issues per month. The first issue was published February 23, 1868 (Keio 4) and the last issue January 23, 1877 (Meiji 10). The front cover of each issue states the issue number and the year and month of issuance.

This periodical represents the first official effort to publish government ordinances by the Dajokan. It was first issued by the newly established Dajokan (Great Council/Privy Council) under the Keio era emperor and continued until 1877 through the early years of the Meiji era emperor. The Dajokan served as the executive cabinet and exercised the powers vested in the emperor and acted in his name. These gazettes chronicle the actions of the Dajokan. In the past actions of the nature taken by the Dajokan were of limited distribution and generally in manuscript form. This publication represented an important change and the issues were widely distributed in printed form (woodblock) to officials of the central and local governments as well as educators. The Dajokan Nisshi represents a key publication in the printed body of Japanese law in the Meiji era.

The first year of the Meiji era overlapped the last year of the Keio (4) era. Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, assumed the throne in 1867, during the third year of the Keio era. However, the change in the name of the era from Keio to Meiji took place on October 23, 1868. Meiji 2 started January 1, 1869. While I have not confirmed it, it appears that the change on the front cover (reflecting Meiji rather than Keio) took place in October, 1868. I believe that the numbering restarted with the first issue of each year. It is clear that the numbering did not run consecutively from 1868 through 1877.

The following colophons are in these issues:

Type I	Type II
Type III	Type IIIa

Printers:

• Murakami Kanbee (Kyoto)
• Suwaraya Mohee (Edo)

Unknown Issue, Meiji ?

This issue does not have the front or rear covers or the colophon at the rear normally found on these books. The identifying information (number, year, month, day) that would normally be found on the first page has been obliterated by a thick black bar. In addition, information on the folded edges has been obliterated. This book was located with issues 42 and 43, Meiji 4 (1871) and it may fall in that time-frame. Perhaps this was a supplement to an issue. There is no evidence that pages have been removed at the front or back.

No Colophon

 
Summary, Unknown Number, Meiji

12 Folded Pages, 24 Total Pages, No Colophon, No Front Cover.