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Китай и китайское в энциклопедиях жанра сэцуё:сю: на примере энциклопедии «Собрание полезных сведений для горожан» (Токай сэцуё: хяккацу:, Осака, 1801)
During the second half of 18th century, the formation of collective identity continues to
proceed in Japan. Popular literature impacted this strongly. A lot of materials published during this period
contained knowledge about Chinese history and geography. In this paper, we try to examine the image of
China in setsuyōshū as an example of popular mass literature, using the case of “The Complete Compendium
of Urban Knowledge”, and the role it played in the formation of the image of Japan. The book was compiled
in Osaka at the end of the 18th century and appears to be one of the characteristic examples of the genre. Its
author Takayasu Rooku was a well-educated calligrapher and connoisseur of the Chinese language and
Chinese history. Due to the professional interests of the compiler, the amount of knowledge about China in
the edition is greater than in other similar works. Chapters related to China focus on famous places, heroes,
provide a list of calligraphers, show China’s place in the world map and images of Chinese people. Like
other chapters of the book, they are accompanied by detailed illustrations: there are images of the eight views
of Shao and Shang, Chinese heroes, famous people. We try to trace the source of information, as in the case
of the chapter about Chinese arms and partly in the case of the 24 examples of filial piety. In some cases, we
can trace the fashion and social tastes of the time: such is the case of the list of great Chinese calligraphers.
We also pay attention to how China is called in different parts of the book. We try to examine the ways
China was perceived and how its image was formed. We distinguish China as the source of wisdom and
virtue; China as the source of cultural borrowings; China as an object of comparison to validate the quality of
Japanese famous landscapes; contemporary China as a source of modern knowledge, a potential threat, and
an object of interest.