Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the multiple facets of this work, resulting from 20 years of observation. It shows how the author endeavored to promote his domain by celebrating the beauty of its natural sites, the achievements of the Kuroda lords and the glorious role it once played as a gateway to China.

Paper long abstract:

In the prolific work of the Confucian scholar Kaibara Ekiken (1630-1714), the Chikuzen no kuni zoku fudoki (Chikuzen Fudoki continued) is generally considered as a work of lesser significance because of its local dimension. In fact, the book was never printed and is only known today through manuscript copies. But in terms of preliminary investigations, it undoubtedly stands among his major works. Kaibara’s 30-volume Fudoki was completed in 1709, after twenty years spent visiting villages and collecting information with the help of his nephew Kaibara Yoshifuru and his disciple Takeda Shun.an. It covers the cities of Fukuoka and Hakata, the fifteen districts of the province, ancient castles and battlefields as well as local products, and shows his concern to bequeath an accurate and reliable description of the area. He officially carried out this work at the request of the lord Kuroda of the Fukuoka domain, but he explains in the preface that he was the one who initiated it. As the title “Fudoki continued” suggests, Kaibara positioned his work in the continuation of the Japanese “tradition” of Fudoki. But as a well-informed Confucian scholar, he could not ignore the great number of local gazetteers produced in China. How did he design his fudoki and for what purpose? To answer this question, the present paper will focus on Kaibara’s method when depicting and discussing his main points of interest : foundation tales of shrines and temples, local products (dosan), outstanding landscapes or local narratives related to historical figures, animals or memorable events. It shows also his concern to praise Kuroda lords’ achievements, glorify the prestigious past of Chikuzen province and celebrate the wealth and beauty of its lands.