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."
Despite the unchallenged origins of the work, the earliest surviving copy (from 1733) features "as narrated by our teacher Ekiken Kaibara" at its conclusion. The publisher's colophon clarifies that the text was compiled from lectures given by our teacher Kaibara.