翻刻
【右丁】
余蓋憂之蚤嗜斯學毎取羣書関
係於斯者竊敢折哀衆説各歸其
當捜採山野移圃栽盆凡二千餘
種苗葉花實随時寫生乃置異
境僻地之産其所目撃莫不悉圖
之如斯者二十餘年積成若干巻
名曰本草啚譜其為圖抖擻精神
盡謁筆力極之精巧施之采包自
【左丁】
以謂無復所憾者試開視之雖児
童走卒亦不待費口舌而辨某為
某物也或使世醫者易彼急於射
利之心而用之於此學資余此啚講
而明之名実不差棟擇無失主治
適當療病如意則庶幾天下之人
遂乎生死乎命可以無憾於疾病
死生之際歟然則此啚之於世豈小
現代語訳
【右丁】
私はかねてよりこれを憂えて、早くからこの学問を好み、群書の中からこれに関係するものを取り上げ、ひそかに衆説を折衷して、それぞれその当を帰し、山野を捜し採り、圃（はたけ）に移し植え、盆に栽培し、凡そ二千余種に及んだ。苗・葉・花・実を、時に随（したが）って写生し、さらに異境（いきょう）・僻地（へきち）の産するものも置き加えて、目撃したものはことごとく図に収めた。かくのごとくすること二十余年、若干巻を積み成し、名づけて『本草図譜』と曰（い）う。その図を描くにあたっては、精神を奮い立たせ、筆力を尽くして極めて精巧に仕上げ、采色（さいしょく）を施すこと
【左丁】
みずから、もはや遺憾とするところはないと思うほどである。試みに開いて視（み）れば、たとえ児童・走卒（そうそつ）であっても、口舌を費やすまでもなく、何が何物であるかを辨（わきま）えることができよう。あるいは世の医者たちをして、彼の利を射（い）ることに急なる心を改めさせ、この学（がく）にそれを用い、余のこの図を資（よりどころ）として講じて明らかにさせれば、名実（めいじつ）相違わず、棟択（えりわけ）も失なく、主治（しゅち）も適当（てきとう）であり、療病（りょうびょう）も意のごとくならば、庶幾（こいねが）わくは天下の人が、生死を遂げ命を全うするにあたって、疾病・死生の際（きわ）において遺憾なきを得られようか。然らば則ち、この図の世におけること、どうして小さいものであろうか。
英語訳
【Right folio】
Long having been troubled by this state of affairs, I developed an early fondness for this field of study. From the many books relating to the subject, I took what was relevant, and, quietly venturing to reconcile the various schools of thought, assigned each to its proper place. I searched and gathered specimens from mountains and fields, transplanted them into garden plots, and cultivated them in pots — amounting in all to more than two thousand varieties. The seedlings, leaves, flowers, and fruit I sketched from life (*shasei*) as each season came, and I further included the products of remote and out-of-the-way places, leaving nothing that I had directly witnessed without committing it to illustration. Having proceeded in this manner for more than twenty years, I accumulated a work of several volumes, which I named the *Honzō Zufu* ("Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica"). In rendering the illustrations, I roused my spirit to the utmost and exhausted every resource of my brush to achieve the greatest possible precision and skill, applying colors
【Left folio】
in such a way that I myself believe there remains nothing left to be desired. If one opens and examines it, even a child or an ordinary runner (*sōsotsu*) will be able, without need of any verbal explanation, to identify which object is which. Should the physicians of the world but change their hearts — so intent upon the pursuit of profit — and instead turn their energies to this study, using my illustrations as a foundation from which to learn and achieve clarity, then names and realities will correspond without error, the selection and sorting of medicines will be without mistake, the indications for treatment will be appropriate, and the healing of disease will proceed as desired. In that case, one may hope that the people of the realm, in the course of living out their lives and fulfilling their destinies, will be spared all cause for regret at the critical moments of illness, life, and death. If that is so, then can the significance of these illustrations to the world truly be considered small?