While the earliest known published edition of Journey to the West (Xiyouji, 西遊記) hails from the 13th-century, the standard 1592 edition of the novel appears to have arrived on Japan’s shores at a relatively late date. For example, the 18th-century translator Nishida Korenori (西田維則; penname: Kuchiki sanjin, 口木山人) began publishing Japanese translations of the stories in 1758, ultimately publishing a total of 26 chapters before his death. Others picked up where he left off, including Ishimaro Sanjin (石麻呂山人) (ch. 27-39 and later 40-47), Ogata Teisai (尾方貞斎) (ch. 48-53), and Gakutei Kyuzan 岳亭丘山 (ch. 54-65). This incomplete version, known as The Popular Journey to the West (Tsuzoku saiyuki, 通俗西遊記, 1758-1831) was published in five instalments over 31 volumes. The first complete version of the novel, The Illustrated Journey to the West (Ehon Saiyuki, 繪本西遊記), was published in 40 volumes a few years later in 1835 (Tanaka, 1988, as cited in Chien, 2017, p. 21).
The latter is full of breathtaking woodblock prints, which are, in my honest opinion, FAR superior to those appearing in the aforementioned standard edition. While commonly attributed to Hokusai (北斎), this art was the joint work of Ohara Toya (大原東野), Utagawa Toyohiro (歌川豐廣), and Katsushika Taito II (二代葛飾戴斗) (Van Rappard-Boon, 1982, p. 147). Most are black and white (fig. 1-4), but a few are in color.
Here, I would like to archive PDF scans of the complete Japanese translation of Journey to the West. I hope it is useful to my readers.
Fig. 1 – The monk Xuanzang/Sanzang (larger version). Fig. 2 – Sun Wukong (larger version). Fig. 3 – Zhu Wuneng/Bajie (larger version). Fig. 4 – Sha Wujing (larger version). Woodblock prints from vol. 1, pp. 8-11.
I. Archive Links
Vol. 1
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-1.pdf
Vol. 2
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-2.pdf
Vol. 3
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-3.pdf
Vol. 4
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-4.pdf
Vol. 5
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-5.pdf
Vol. 6
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-6.pdf
Vol. 7
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-7.pdf
Vol. 8
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-8.pdf
Vol. 9
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-9.pdf
Vol. 10
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-10.pdf
Vol. 11
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-11.pdf
Vol. 12
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-12.pdf
Vol. 13
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-13.pdf
Vol. 14
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-14.pdf
Vol. 15
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-15.pdf
Vol. 16
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-16.pdf
Vol. 17
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-17.pdf
Vol. 18
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-18.pdf
Vol. 19
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-19.pdf
Vol. 20
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-20.pdf
Vol. 21
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-21.pdf
Vol. 22
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-22.pdf
Vol. 23
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-23.pdf
Vol. 24
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-24.pdf
Vol. 25
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-25.pdf
Vol. 26
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-26.pdf
Vol. 27
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-27.pdf
Vol. 28
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-28.pdf
Vol. 29
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-29.pdf
Vol. 30
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-30.pdf
Vol. 31
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-31.pdf
Vol. 32
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-32.pdf
Vol. 33
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-33.pdf
Vol. 34
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-34.pdf
Vol. 35
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-35.pdf
Vol. 36
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-36.pdf
Vol. 37
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-37.pdf
Vol. 38
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-38.pdf
Vol. 39
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-39.pdf
Vol. 40
Click to access Saiyuki-1835-No-40.pdf
II. Thanks
I originally retrieved the PDF scans from this archive. My thanks to them.
Sources:
Chien, P. (2017). A Journey to the Translation of Verse in the Five English Versions of Xiyouji [Unpublished Master’s dissertation]. National Taiwan Normal University. Retrieved from http://rportal.lib.ntnu.edu.tw/bitstream/20.500.12235/95894/1/060025002l01.pdf
Van Rappard-Boon, C. (1982). Hokusai and His School: Japanese Prints C.1800-1840. Netherlands: Rijksprntenkabinet / Rijksmuseum.