Although the genesis of the work remains unchallenged, the oldest extant copy (1733) ends with the lines "as related by our teacher Ekiken Kaibara" and the publisher's colophon states that the text was written from lectures of our teacher Kaibara."
Although the source of the work cannot be questioned, the oldest known manuscript (1733) includes "related by our teacher Ekiken Kaibara" and the colophon states that the text is based on lectures given by our teacher Kaibara.