Masasukes Notes on Court Costume (満佐須計装束抄)
Masasuke's Notes on Court Costume is a book on court costume and lore written in kana that appeared at the end of the Heian period. The author was MINAMOTO no Masasuke.
The writing of the title merely uses, in manyogana style, the original kanji forms of the kana used to write 'Masasuke.'
Although Sadamoto NONOMIYA, a court noble and an expert in court lore who was active during the Genroku and Shotoku eras (Japan), doubted that it was written by MINAMOTO no Masasuke, there is no reason to positively deny the author's identity. Examining the contents, they suit the image of Masasuke as an 'expert on court costume' since the latter half of the Heian period, a middle-ranking aristocrat possessing specialized knowledge of costume, giving detailed information on the costume for the girls and servants in the Gosechi Festival, etc.
"Goshonenin's Notes on Court Costume" in the Kamakura period quoted it as the "Gasho" (Notes on Court Elegance), and the "Asho" in the middle of the Muromachi period quoted it as "Notes on Court Costume by the Tokudai-ji Family." All of these contents are included in the three volume vulgate texts. The latter in particular also quotes Sukeyuki's book-end notes, which also appear in the three volume texts.
Manuscript lines
The remaining manuscripts are roughly divided into two lines.
The texts with three volumes (the Vulgate Texts)
It was widely circulated after Motokazu HIGASHIZONO showed it as a reference when the "Ruiju Zatsuyoho" (a book on court lore from the end of Heian period) was pictorialized on the orders of the Ichijo family during the Genroku era. It is a manuscript line that was copied during the Oei era from a book with manuscript notes by Fuyunobu OIMIKADO after the index at the beginning. They all have the same omission in the article in the third volume on wearing women's court costume in layers. The colophons of many manuscripts show the fact that several lines had already appeared in the Genroku era, and it can be understood that the book was prized as precious source material.
Abridged Texts
The Yusoku Bunka Kenkyujo (Institute of Court Culture) and Imperial Household Archives have ｖariant Texts that anthologize only the articles related to women's court costume (parts of the first and third volumes of the Vulgate Texts).
It is a text transferred from one hand-copied by Nagayuki TAKAKURA in the Meitoku era
Also a picture scroll was made showing five kimonos worn in layers from this variant text in pictures and diagrams, and a replica made in the Muromachi period remains in the Yusoku Bunka Kenkyujo. The first half of "Lord Donge-in's Notes on Court Costume" has the contents of this picture scroll in written form.