The Trail of Time

Time Measurement with Incense in East Asia

Silvio A. Bedini (Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC)

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English

Cambridge University Press
03 November 2005

General & world history; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Clocks, chronometers & watches (horology)

This book is a scholarly study of a virtually unknown aspect of the history of horology (timekeeping), compiled from Chinese and Japanese historical and literary records, some of which are translated and published here for the first time. Incense timekeepers played an important role in early Chinese social and technological history, in addition to their use for time measurement. They were used in temples for religious rites, in agricultural regions for regulating water for irrigation, in palaces and government offices, and in the studies of scholars. A fascinating compendium of knowledge about a neglected aspect of Oriental culture, this book will appeal not only to historians of China and Japan, but to the growing number of collectors and museum curators who are interested in incense clocks.

By: Silvio A. Bedini (Smithsonian Institution Washington DC)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 247mm, Width: 189mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 667g
ISBN: 9780521021630
ISBN 10: 0521021634
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 03 November 2005
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of illustrations; Preface; Acknowledgements; Conventions; Part I. Time Measurement and Incense in East Asia: 1. Early East Asian time measurement; 2. Incense and the populace; 3. Incense in religious rites; 4. Incense for time measurement; Part II. The Incense Seal in China: 5. The incense seal of Avalokitésvara; 6. In Chinese Buddhist rites; 7. In Chinese civil life; 8. In Chinese social life; 9. In Chinese and foreign writings; Part III. The Incense Seal in Japan: 10. Japanese kobandokei; 11. In Japanese Buddhist rites; 12. In Japanese civil life; 13. The fire in the smoke; Appendices; Bibliography; Illustrations; Index.

Reviews for The Trail of Time: Time Measurement with Incense in East Asia

'This handsome volume, the result of a lifetime's study by a noted scholar, will be treasured not only by horologists and other historians of science but also by lovers of East Asian art and poetry.' The Antiquarian Horological Society ...recommended to anyone with an interest in East Asian combustion horology. It is, in fact, the only full-length monograph devoted to the subject in a Western language....The wealth of illustrations at the back of the book are particularly valuable since they include photographs of items in the author's own collection that would otherwise be inaccessible to the student of such instruments. This book will probably remain the standard reference for collectors of antiques and researchers on this subject for some time to come. China Review International