Hasegawa Takejirō


Hasegawa Takejirō was an innovative Japanese publisher specializing in books in European languages on Japanese subjects. Hasegawa employed leading foreign residents as translators and noted Japanese artists as illustrators, and became a leading purveyor of export books and publications for foreign residents in Japan.

Beginnings

Hasegawa's earliest known books were published under the "Kobunsha" imprint in the mid-1880s but around 1889 he began publishing under the names "T. Hasegawa" and "Hasegawa & Co." Early publications included a monochrome woodcut illustrated Hokusai collection and a two volume Writings of Buddha.
Many of Hasegawa's early books were in the form of chirimen-bon or crêpe paper books.

Japanese Fairy Tale Series

In 1885, Hasegawa published the first six volumes of his Japanese Fairy Tale Series, employing American Presbyterian missionary Rev. David Thomson as translator. As the series proved profitable, Hasegawa added other translators beginning with James Curtis Hepburn for the seventh volume, including Basil Hall Chamberlain, Lafcadio Hearn, and Chamberlain's friend Kate James, wife of his Imperial Japanese Naval Academy colleague, Thomas H. James. The books were illustrated by Kobayashi Eitaku until his death in 1890, and by various other artists afterwards.
By 1903, the series reached 28 volumes in two series. Most of the stories were based on well-known Japanese folk tales, but some of the later books, including several by Lafcadio Hearn, are thought to have been invented rather than translated, or perhaps combine elements of several folk tales. The books continued to be reprinted, sometimes with variant titles, for several decades.
NumberTitleJapanese NameTranslatorPublication
1Little Peachling
Momotaro		MomotaroDavid Thomson1885
2Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Tongue Cut Sparrow		Shita-kiri suzumeDavid Thomson1885
3Battle of the Monkey and the Crab
Battle of the Monkey & Crab		Saru kani gassenDavid Thomson1885
4The Old Man Who Made the Dead Trees Blossom
Hanasaki Jiji		Hanasaki jijiDavid Thomson1885
5Kachi-Kachi Mountain
Kachi-Kachi Yama		Kachi-kachi YamaDavid Thomson1885
6The Mouse's Wedding
Nedzumi no Yome-Iri		Nezumi no YomeiriDavid Thomson1885
7The Old Man and the Devils
The Old Man & the Devils		KobutoriJames Curtis Hepburn1886
8Urashima, The Fisher-Boy
Urashima, The Fisher-Boy Urashima		Urashima TaroBasil Hall Chamberlain1886
9The Serpent With Eight Heads
Yamata No Orochi		Yamata no orochiBasil Hall Chamberlain1886
10The Matsuyama Mirror
Matsuyama Kagami		Matsuyama kagamiMrs. T.H. James1886
11The Hare of InabaInaba no shirousagiMrs. T.H. James1886
12The Cub's Triumph
Kitsune no Tegara		Kitsune no tegaraMrs. T.H. James1886
13The Silly Jelly-FishKurage honenashiBasil Hall Chamberlain1887
14The Princes Fire-Flash and Fire-FadeTamanoiMrs. T.H. James1887
15My Lord Bag-O'RiceTawara no TodaBasil Hall Chamberlain1887
16The Wooden BowlHachi kazukiMrs. T.H. James1887
16*Wonderful Tea KettleBunbuku chagamaMrs. T.H. James1896
17SchippeitaroShippeitaroMrs. T.H. James1888
18The Ogre's ArmRashomonMrs. T.H. James1889
19The Ogres of OyeyamaOeyamaMrs. T.H. James?
20The Enchanted WaterfallKo wa shimizuMrs. T.H. James?
21Three ReflectionsAma saibanMrs. T.H. James1894
22The Flowers of Remembrance and ForgetfulnessMrs. T.H. James1894
23The Boy Who Drew CatsEneko to nezumiLafcadio Hearn1898
24The Old Woman Who Lost Her DumplingLafcadio Hearn1902
25Chin Chin KobakamaChiichii kobakamaLafcadio Hearn1903
2-1The Goblin SpiderLafcadio Hearn1902?
2-2The Wonderful MalletMrs. T.H. James1899
2-3The Broken ImagesMrs. T.H. James1903
-Princess Splendor: The Woodcutter's Daughter
Princess Splendor, Japanese Fairy Tale		Taketori monogatariEdward Rothesay Miller1889
-The Fountain of YouthLafcadio Hearn1922

The two series of fairy tale books were also packaged into various types of sets. In 1922 an additional Lafcadio Hearn title, The Fountain of Youth was added, and a five volume Hearn set was sold. Princess Splendor: The Woodcutter's Daughter, a translation of Taketori monogatari by American missionary Edward Rothesay Miller, was presumably excluded from the series because of its greater length. A three volume series of Aino Fairy Tales translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, consisting of The Hunter in Fairy-Land, The Birds' Party, and The Man Who Lost His Wife, was also issued in 1887.
Many of the fairy tale books appeared in other European language translations, including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish.

Other publications

Besides the popular fairy tale books, Hasegawa produced other books for Japan's tourist trade and foreign community. Many, like his illustrated calendars with humorous verses, were of an ephemeral nature. There were also translations of Japanese poetry, including the three volume series, Sword and Blossom: Poems from Japan translated by Charlotte Peake and Kimura Shotaro, collections of prints by famous artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai, and illustrated books on Japanese life and customs, such as Japanese Pictures of Japanese Life, Japanese Topsyturvydom by Mrs. E.S. Patton, and The Favorite Flowers of Japan, with text by Mary E. Unger and illustrations by Mishima Shoso.