A query about the source of a passage of the Kon-yo zushiki

[Nobumi Iyanaga]

Dear Colleagues,

I have a question about the source of a passage, the first paragraph of the first kan, of the Kon-yo zushiki 坤興圖識 by Mitsukuri Shōgo 箕作省吾 (1845). Here is this passage:

亞細亞洲總括
名義未ダ詳ナラズ。或曰。厄勒祭亞（ギリシア）國の語、中を言テ亞細ト称ス、此洲歐邏巴（エウロッパ）、亞弗利加（アフリカ）洲ノ中間ニ在ルヲ以テ名ク、又一説ニ、亞細亞ハ神ヲ云フ。神聖首出ノ郷、故に尊デ是称有リ、猶神洲ト云ハンガ如シ。

It is known that Mitsukuri Shōgo compiled this geography book using several Dutch sources (I found this study: 宮地哉恵子, "幕末期における海外情報の受容過程——蘭書の輸入と受容形態をめぐって", 参考書誌研究, No. 39（1991, 3), p. 1-20: p. 6-8). Miyaji counts 7 books. I would like to know wha the source of this particular passage　is, and what the word of 神聖 in the original language is (Dutch; but the source book may be itself a translation of some book in another language). I wonder if this may be "religion" or perhaps "sacred" or something like this in English (I don't know Dutch, nor German; but I think I can find the meaning with some AI translation tool...).

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The background of my question is research on the evolution of the meaning of the term 神聖 in Japanese. One of the first occurrences of this word in Japanese literature is the beginning of the 日本書紀, where it designates one of the primordial deities. Except this occurrence, it seems that ancient and medieval sources use it very scarcely. In the Edo period Confucian sources, it may appear more frequently as an honorific adjective for emperors (天皇) -- this use is well known in Chinese Confucian literature. This kind of use is very apparent in 水戸学 writings (for example, in the 新論 of 会沢正志斎, the term 神聖 appears at least 16 times).

However, from the later Edo period, it begins to be used in 洋学 works, as a translation of some European (Christian) words for "holy", "saint", "sacred" or some words like these (as far as I can guess...). I think the occurrence in the 坤興圖識 is probably one of the oldest occurrences of this use.

This passage of the 坤興圖識 is quoted in Takeo Masatane's 竹尾正胤 (a late kokugaku author) Daiteikoku-ron 大帝国論 (1863) (岩波「日本思想大系」vol. 51, 『後期国学』p. 490):

亜細亜と云るが如きは、アシハラの転語ならむ歟と云説も有れど、西夷が脱には、「亜細亜ハ神ヲ云フ。神聖首出ノ郷、故ニ尊デ是称有り。猶神州卜云ハンガ如シ」と云り。此説まことにしかる可し。

In a later passage in the same 大帝国論, the author quotes another (?) work, which is a very similar statement (p. 517):

「ゼルマニア」人「ヨハン—ヒブネス」が書る万国伝信紀事に、「亜細亜洲ハ世界開闢ノ初地ニシテ、神聖肇ニ出テ、人類出生シ、帝王国ヲ興シ、法教首ニ立チ、其他文字、諸技芸ノ類ニ至ルマデ、多クハミナ此洲ヨリ権輿（けんよ）セリ」と云ひ...

According to a note by the editor of this edition, this "万国伝信紀事" by 「ゼルマニア」人「ヨハン—ヒブネス」 is a translation in Japanese of the Dutch book titled De Staats-en Koeranten Tolk, of Woordenboek der Geleerden en Ongeleerden, published in Leiden in 1732 [池田哲郎「江戸時代のオランダ系「歴史」」、『福島大学学芸学部論集　社会科学』8-1, 1957, p. 38-53: p. 51: Bibliography No. 81], which is itself a Dutch translation of a German book, Johann Hübner's Reales Staats- Zeitungs- und Conversations-Lexicon (published in Leizig) [but I was unable to find out who translated this Dutch work into Japanese, nor when...]. In fact, this German work is a kind of early encyclopedia authored by several scholars, and Johann Hübner was only the author of the Preface. But it was known as the "Hübner's Dictionary" in Germany and more largely in Europe in the Enlightenment period.

It is known that one of the main sources of the 坤興圖識 was Hübner's Kurtze Fragen aus der alten und neuen Geographie, translated in Dutch as Kort Begryp der Oude en Nieuwe Geographie. So, I guess if this was the source of the passage that I quoted at the beginning of this mail -- but this is only a guess without any evidence.

I would be very grateful for any insight on this problem.

Best regards,

Nobumi Iyanaga