User:Bamse/List of National Treasures (writings)

1. Books bound in the Japanese style (和書): 68
   1. Japanese literature (日本文学): 39
      1. Waka (和歌): 29: mostley Heian (24), Kamakura (5)
      2. Monogatari (物語), Chinese poetry and prose (漢詩文), narratives (説話他): 10: Heian (6), Kamakura (4)
   2. History books (史書), historical tales (歴史物語): 11: Heian (6), Kamakura (4), Nanbokucho (1)
   3. Others: 18: mostly Heian (14), Kamakura (3), Nanbokucho (1)
2. Chinese books/classics (漢籍): 56
   1. Japanese manuscripts （日本写本）: 23: Tang (2), Nara (4), Heian (15), Kamakura (2)
   2. Chinese manuscripts （中国写本）: 20: mostly Tang (19), Southern Song (1)
   3. Chinese printed books （中国刊本）: 13: Southern Song only

1. Buddhist writings: 60
   1. Sacred books (仏教経典): 46
   2. Compilations, sacred teachings (仏教撰述書、聖教類): 14
2. Zen monk writings (墨蹟): 23
3. Kaishi paper (懐紙): 4
4. Collection of handwritings/albums of exemplary calligraphy (手鑑): 4
5. Old writings (古筆): 5
6. Others: 3

Waka

• waka definition->general waka history (import of chinese poems->waka) -> compilation of anthologies (private, imperial, collection of utaawase; by single compilers and groups of compilers),...
• intro:
  • Waka is japanese native poetry...
  • waka is preserved/transmitted in three (written) forms: imperial anthologies, private anthologies and utaawase, (plus waka criticism?)
  • mention heian court culture (poetry was essential for cour life)

!!!!this includes imperial anthologies (Kokin Wakashu, Gosen Wakashu), (private) anth. (Man'yōshū, Ruijū Koshū, shinso hisho, Nyūdō Udaijin-shū, sanjūrokunin kashū, Myōe Shōnin Kashū, Shūi gusō), discussions/stylistic notes (wakatai jisshu, korai fūteishō), utaawase

• Manyoshu (3, after 759), Kokinshu (10, 920 compl.), wakatai jisshu (1, 945), Gosen Wakashu (1, 951), Shinsō Hishō (1, 1008), Nyūdō Udaijin-shū (1, before 1065), sanjūrokunin kashū (1, ca. 1112), Ruijūkoshū (1, before 1120), korai futeisho (1, 1197), Shuiguso (1, 1216), Myōe Shōnin Kashū (1, 1248), utaawase (7, 889-898,...)
• "2" Imperial anthologies (10 kokinshu, 1 gosen wakashu), "3" utaawase (7 utaawase), "2" criticism (1 wakatai jisshu, 1 korai futeisho), "7" private anthologies (3 manyoshu, 1 shinso hisho, 1 nyudo udaijinshu, 1 sanjurokunin kashu, 1 ruijukoshu, 1 shuiguso, 1 myoe shonin kashu)

def

• waka=japan. poetry as opposed to kanshi (chin. poetry)
• forms of waka: tanka, chouka, sedouka, bussokuseki (all but tanka and chouka disappeared in 9th c.)
• 31 syllables
• waka has always been principal form of Japanese poetry and in existence by 8th c.

gen

• every great poet was interested in compiling waka anthologies
• almost all literate Japanese composed waka until modern era
• waka were composed extensively in 7th/8th c. and became even more important in 10th/11th c.
• waka emerged in nara and heian p.
• from beginning at imperial court had both a public political role (often in ritual affirmation of power) and private social role (intimate form of dialogue and for courtship)
• central topic of classical japanese poetry was love and four seasons
• poetry evolved from chouka in early man'yoshu to 31 syllable waka (central form of kokinshu and heian p.) to linked verse in medieval p.

Asuka-Nara

• before late 7th c. "songs" (and narratives) were transmitted orally in a variety of ways: as part of tales/festivals/rituals; traces of oral narratives survive in kojiki and nihon shoki; ancient poems (uta) of courtship and praise for the ruler also survive in kojiki, nihon shoki and man'yoshu
• transition from oral to written (Japan.) poetry in 7th century (oral composition never ceased)
• old and new (Japan.) poems began to be written down as a normal thing in 7th c.
• composition of chinese poems (kanshi) also started in late 7th c.
• compilation of poetic anthologies (learned from chinese) started in 8th c. -> earliest kanshi anth. (Kaifuso) and earliest anthology of Japan. verse (manyoshu)
• 112 songs of kojiki are precious corpus of early oral verse and prototypes of tanka (short poem) and chouka (long poem) = two principal varieties of early Japanese verse
• composition and compilation of poems learned from chinese
• Manyoshu is great literary monument of asuka/nara period, the culmination and repository of all that Japanese poetic culture had become up until that time. It is the earliest extant waka anthology,
• Manyoshu: over 4500 poems dating from 759 backwards more than one c.
• waka in manyoshu oriented towards romantic love between sexes
• manyoshu contains not only waka but also kanshi and kambun (chin. prose)
• in man'yoshu: 260 chouka, 60 sedouka, 4200 tanka (=three main forms of poetry at time of compilation)
• tanka remained as staple of waka poetry after disappearance of chouka (after 8th c.) and sedouka
• kakyou hyoushiki (772) was earliest Japanese poetic criticism
• in nara p. ceremonial poems composed by laureates at court, liturgies recited by shinto priests, more informal poems composed by lords and ladies of aristocracy
• primary record is man'yoshu: shows first flowering of (largely Chinese inspired) poetry
• chouka and uta (=waka/tanka) were poetry of the day, uta dominating at time of composition of man'yoshu/mid-8th c.

Heian

Waka (lit. "Japanese poem") or uta (song) is a major genre of Japanese literature and a term created in the Heian period to distinguish Japanese-language poetry from kanshi, poetry written in Chinese by Japanese authors. Originally transmitted orally as part of tales, festivals or rituals, waka began to be written down in the 7th century. In the Asuka and Nara periods, "waka" included a number of different poetry forms such as tanka ("short poem"), chōka ("long poem"), bussokusekika, sedōka ("memorized poem") and katauta ("poem fragment"), but by the 10th century only the 31 syllable tanka survived. The primary record of early Japanese poetry and the first waka anthology is the Man'yōshū from the mid 8th century. It contains the three main forms of poetry at time of compilation: 4,200 tanka, 260 chōka and 60 sedōka; dating from 759 backwards more than one century.

The early 9th century was a period of direct imitation of Chinese models making kanshi the major form of poetry at the time. Waka rose together with the development of kana script and the general revival of traditional values in the late 9th century culminating in the compilation of the first imperial waka anthology, the Kokinshū, in 905. It was followed in 951 by the Gosen Wakashū; in all seven imperial anthologies were compiled in the Heian period. The main subjects were love and the four seasons and the standards in vocabulary, grammar and style laid out in the Kokinshū dominated waka composition into the nineteenth century.

Together with musical talent and calligraphy, the ability to compose and appreciate waka was essential for success of Heian period aristocrats in both private and public life. Poetry was used in witty converstaions, in notes of invitation, thanks or condolence; for correspondence between friends and lovers. Some of the finest poetry of the Heian period came from the middle class court society such as ladies in waiting or middle rank official, that is, those who could gain status that was denied to them by family background or rank. Utaawase poetry contests in which poets composed poetry on a given theme to be judged by an individual, were held from 885 onwards and became a regular activity of Heian courtiers from the 10th century onward. Judgements led to works on waka theory/criticism and poems from the contests found their way into imperial anthologies. Conversely, waka theory works and the anthologies (particularly the Kokinshū) were cited in judgements. Until the late 11th century, utaawase were held as social (not literary) events in opulence and friendly rivalry and included also chanters, scribes, consultants, musicians and an audience.

During the Heian period, waka were often collected in large anthologies, such as the Man'yōshū or Kokinshū, or smaller private collections of the works of a single poet. Waka also featured high in all kinds of literary prose works including monogatari, diaries and historical works. The Tale of Genji alone contains 800 waka.

• private waka collections also led to a variety of new genres: poetic travel diaries, poem tales (uta-monogatari),
• waka were often collected in either large anthologies like man'yoshu and kokinshu or smaller private collections of the works of a single poet
• heian period prose literature often feature waka (e.g. 800 waka in genji)
• poetry featured high in all kinds of literary works: genji monog., diaries/memoirs, historical works

• from 885 until late 11th century utaawase were held as social events (not literary events) in opulence, taste, and friendly rivalry.
• utaawase poetry contests became constant feature of aristocratic life
• utaawase materials became raw material for imperial anthologies
• utaawase: poets composed poems on a theme to be judged by an individual; judgements lead to works on waka theory and conversely waka theory works were used in judgements
• poetry contests became prevalent from 10th century onward

• ability to compose waka was essential for private and public life of heian p. aristocracy
• ability to compose and appreciate waka was essential for success in heian society (often useful for extricating oneself from a difficult situation)
• with development of kana, waka became an instrument of casual social intercourse, functioning as the main element in a note of invitation, thanks, or condolence, or as a well-bred response to a moving incident, or as a witty escape from an awkward situation -> tanka (short poem) was more adapted to this kind of poetry than chouka (long poem)-> tanka became standard waka form
• poetry was at heart of court life: used in witty conversations, for correspondence between friends, and messages between lovers; together with musical talent and calligraphy, poetry composition was considered an essential accomplishment of aristocrats
• institutionalization of waka poetry: waka were composed for ceremonial use but also for amusement and to develop love relationships
• finest poets came from middle class of court society: ladies in waiting and middle ranking officials (=those who could win through poetry what was denied to them by family background or rank)

• six imperial anthologies compiled between 905 and 1151
• in all seven imperial waka anthologies were compiled in heian p.
• imperial anthologies became central holdings in aristocratic libraries
• main subject of imperial anthologies were love and four seasons
• heian poetry followed standards (vocab, grammar, style) laid out in kokinshu; the more institutionalized they became, the less original
• kokinshu established compositional norms that endured well into the nineteenth century

• in late 9th c. waka rose together with popularity of kana
• 9th c. was period of direct imitation of chinese models, i.e. kanshi was major form of poetry; Japanese poetry disappeared almost completely from public life; waka survived in private and underwent significant changes
• waka reappeared in mid 9th c. together with the general revival and refinement of traditional interests and values; the resurgence of the hereditary principle, which diminished the utility of a Chinese education; the perfection of kana;
• sharp spurt in the demand for formal waka during the last fifteen years of the ninth century culminating in the compilation of the first imperial waka anthology, Kokin[waka]shu (905)
• in first years of heian p. (until mid 800s) chinese models dominated poetry

• poetry was not idle pastime but involved mastery of rhetorical techniques and knowledge of a canon
• almost all heian p. poetry was of uta/waka form

Kamakura

At the end of the Heian period, the aristocracy lost political and economical power to warrior clans but retained the prestige as custodian of high culture and literature. Nostalgia of the Heian court past, considered then as classical Japanese past (as opposed to Chinese past), created a renaissance in the arts and led to a blossoming of waka in the early Kamakura period. Poets of middle and lower rank such as Fujiwara no Shunzei, Saigyō Hōshi and Fujiwara no Teika analyzed works of the past ages, wrote critical comments and added new aesthetic values such as yūgen to waka poetry. Some of the best imperial anthologies and best poetic anthologies such as Shunzei's Korai fūteishō were created in the early Kamakura period. The audience was extended from aristocracy to high ranking warriors and priests, who also started to compose waka. By the 14th century, linked verse or renga, superseded waka poetry in importance.

• waka had been institutionalized in heian p. (e.g. with list of improper practices to be used as criteria in poetry contests), but kamakura p. waka theory added new aesthetic values to this -> reflected in theoretical works of the time
• new aesthetics of waka include Yūgen

critics/scholarship

• eminent teachers wrote treatises for pupils who wanted to participate in poetry contests
• teika was one of the most gifted poets and critics in entire history of waka poetry; credited with consolidating waka tradition after 1185 civil wars; his critical writings remained reference point for poets for many century
• teika and others were also scholars who studied waka-centered, classical court literature, especially the mid-Heian-period masterworks Kokinshu, he monogatari,

and Genji monogatar

• poets of middle and lower rank (e.g. Shunzei, Saigyou, Teika) are responsible for development of poetry of the day: created critical vocabulary to analyze the work (of past ages and their own age) in an attempt to create new approaches and new ideals for old forms; they also expanded audience to high ranking warriors and many priests (before poetry largely for aristocracy)

• aristocratic lit. was characterised by nostalgia of heian court past and emphasis on preserving court traditions;
• aristocracy retained prestige as custodian of high culture and canonical literature in early medieval period (despite of political and economic decline)
• court institutions lost power to warrior clans; and focused on the arts and brought about a renaissance
• in kamakura p., heian p. was regarded as "classical Japanese past" (as opposed to Chinese past); kind of nostalgic feeling as aristocracy lost influence and also wealth to some extent->blossoming of waka
• waka poetry remained most highly regarded literary form

• buddhist priests were also prominent composers of waka and renga
• some of the best imperial anthologies and best poetic treatises (e.g. korai futeisho) were compiled in early kamakura p.
• waka was still vibrant art in Kamakura p.; poetry remained central mode of expression for aristocrats and well educated buddhist priests
• darker mood and tenor of some medieval waka due to Gempei war and decline of political and social influence of the court; also impermanence of human existence (associated with notion of mappou) played a role in poetry
• Shunzei and his son Teika were among most outstanding poets of early kamak. p.

• chief medium remained uta/waka, but also personal anthologies, record of poetry contests with judgement and words of criticism, critical treatises

renga

• poets realized potential of linked verse (renga)
• by 14th c. renga eclipsed waka in importance

Imperial anthologies (chokusen wakashu, Nijūichidaishū), waka-dokoro...

• [1], CHoJ Heian p. bb438-441 (chokusen wakashu)

kokin wakashu

• [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]
• discuss how the koya edition was cut up in parts

gosen wakashu/gosenshu

• [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]
• second imp. anthology; compiled in 951 by minamoto shitagou and four others;
• 13th c. text collated by teika contains 1425 poems

Private anthologies/"Exemplary Collections"

sanjūrokunin kashū

• [22], [23], [24]

Shinsō Hishō

• original and this manuscript 1008/9
• collection of favourite verses by Fujiwara no Kintō
• AKA Shinsō Hishū
• 101 poems

Nyūdō Udaijin-shū

• selection (probably) by Fujiwara no Yorimune (took the name "Nyūdō Udaijin" when entering priesthood in 1065)
• this manuscript is transcription by Minamoto no Shunrai and
• 109 poems
• only extant manuscript of this work

Ruijū Koshū

• this manuscript (original?) from late heian p.
• original (same as NT?) by Fujiwara no Atsutaka
• Man'yoshu text rearranged under topical and formal headings
• NT consists of 16 out of the original 20 books
• three-fold value:
  • 1) the manuscript, "Ruijukoshu" is only one of its kind;
  • 2) it is the first book that attempts to reorganize the earlier Manyoshu;
  • 3) each poem is written in cursive Japanese Manyogana (syllabic writing similar to hiragana or katakana), followed by hiragana, which clearly indicates how the poem was meant to be read.
• subcategorized under themes such as season, heaven and earth, and landscape (arranged further according to the way change and events are played out in each season)
• date of creation unknown

Myōe Shōnin Kashū

• [25] (gen about myoe as poet), [26]
• see remarks

Shūi Gusō

• 2885 verses
• in teika's own handwriting
• 1216
• ="meager gleanings"
• one of the chief works of teika

utaawase

• [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35]
• poetry contests (utaawase) from 885 to late 11th c.
• u. were major literary and social activity of heian aristocracy
• procedure:
  • participants devided in two teams
  • asked to compose poems on assigned (either on same day or in advance) topics
  • compositions read aloud and assessed by judge (typically high-ranking noble or distinguished poet); both poems and their presentation were important
  • event/ritual included also chanters, scribes, consultants, musicians and audience
• u. had great impact on development of classical poetry
• u. judgements were prelude to waka criticism
• oldest surviving u. from late 9th c. but flourished from 10th c.
• influenced diminished sharply after kamakura p.

Utaawase 1

• 5 scrolls (1,2,3,8,10) of 10 vol edition, Munetaka ?,Konoe, Maeda Ikutokukai; originally together with utaawase 2 and kanpyo utaawase?

Utaawase 2

• 1 scroll (6) of 10 vol edition, Munetaka ?, Konoe, Yomei Bunko; originally together with utaawase 1 and kanpyo utaawase?

kasen utaawase

• [36]

kanpyō utaawase

• 1 scroll (fragm 4) of 10 vol edition, Munetaka ?,Konoe, TNM; originally together with utaawase 1+2
• [37], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42], [43]

Jūgoban utaawase (15 rounds poetry competition)

• one scroll, Korefusa, Maeda Ikutokukai

Hirota-sha nijūkuban utaawase (29 rounds poetry competition at hirota shrine)

• 3 scrolls, Shunzei, Maeda Ikutokukai
• [44]

Ruijū utaawase (poetry match on related themes)

• [45], [46], [47], [48], [49], [50]
• 19 scrolls of 20 vol edition, Masazane and Tadamichi, poetry contents until 1126, yomei bunko
• more than 200 poetry competitions [51]

stylistic notes and discussions

wakatai jisshu/jusshu, AKA Tadamine jittai (1, 945)

• poetry treatise from 945; from end of 10th beginning of 11th c.
• ="ten poetic styles"
• AKA Tadamine juttei
• description of the ten different most popular waka styles
• this work became classic memento used by later poets
• said to have been written by Mibu Tadamine who is one of 36 poetic sages
• NT is oldest extant manuscript of this work
• consists of five examples of each poem in hiragana plus explanation in chinese characters
• NT possibly by Fujiwara Tadaie (according to note)

korai futeisho (1, 1197)

• ="Poetic Styles from the Past"
• original by Shunzei, 1197
• general intro -> history of waka from ancient period to Senzaishū -> general statement on essence of waka-> poetry chosen from 7 imperial anthologies
• shunzei propagates that poetry should not only consist of meaning and diction but should combine deep meaning and beautiful words

• work quotes waka from manyoshu to Senzaishū and points out the changes in style through the ages

intro

[52], [53], [54], [55], [56] (395ff), [57] (p 80ff)

• protohistory...mention of Wa (Japan) in Chinese books (compare with NT)
• oldest history made in japan: nihon shoki, kojiki ?

History books (史書), historical tales (歴史物語)

history books

The oldest known Japanese large-scale works are historical books (Kojiki and Nihon Shoki) or regional cultural and geographical records (fudoki) compiled on imperial order in the early 8th century. They were written with the aim of legitimizing the new centralized state under imperial rule by linking the origin of emperors to the Age of the Gods. The oldest of these historical books is the Kojiki ("Record of ancient matters") dating from 712 and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. Written in ancient Japanese style using Chinese ideographs, it deals with the mythological origin of Japan and historical events up to the year 628. Shortly after the completion of the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki (or Nihongi) appeared in 720 probably going back to an order of Emperor Tenmu from 681. It is a much more detailed version of the Kojiki, dating events and providing alternative versions of myths; it covers the time up to 697. Compared to the Kojiki, it follows the model of Chinese dynastic histories much closer, both in style and language using orthodox classical Chinese. Both of these works provide the historical and spiritual basis for shinto.

In 713, Empress Gemmei ordered provincial governors to compile official reports on the history, geography and local folk customs. These provincial gazetteers are known as fudoki (lit. "Records of wind and earth") and provide valuable information on economical and ethnographical data, local culture and tales. Of more than 60 provincial records compiled in the early 8th century only five survived: one, the Izumo Fudoki (733), in complete form and four, Bungo (730s), Harima (circa 715), Hizen (730s) as fragments. The Nihon Shoki is the first official history of Japan and the first—and by far most interesting—of a set of six national histories (Rikkokushi) compiled over a 200 year period on Chinese models. Based on these six histories, Sugawara no Michizane arranged historical events chronologically and thematically in the Ruijū Kokushi which was completed in 892.

With the cessation of official missions to China and a general trend of turning away from Chinese-derived institutions and behavioral patterns in the latter part of the 9th century, the compilation of such national histories patterned on formal Chinese dynastic histories was abandoned. Together with the development of kana script, new styles of uniquely Japanese literature such as the monogatari appeared around that time. The new style of historic writing that emerged during the Fujiwara regency, at the turning point of ancient imperial rule and the classical era, is called historic tale (rekishi monogatari) and was much influenced by the fictional tale, especially by the Tale of Genji, with which it shares the scene by scene construction as fundamental difference to earlier historic writings. The oldest historical tale is the Eiga Monogatari ("A Tale of Flowering Fortunes"), giving an eulogistic chronological account of the Fujiwara from 946 to 1027, focusing particularly on Fujiwara Michinaga. It was largely written by Akazome Emon probably shortly after the death of Michinaga in 1027.

There are eleven National Treasures in the category of historical books including one manuscript of the Kojiki, five manuscripts of the Nihon Shoki, the Harima and Hizen Fudoki, two manuscripts of the Ruijū Kokushi and one of the Eiga Monogatari. All of these treasures are later copies and with the exception of the Eiga Monogatari, the complete content of the works has to be assembled from several of these (and other) fragmentary manuscripts or be inferred from other sources. The Kojiki, long been neglected by scholars until the 18th century, was not preserved as well as the Nihon Shoki which has been studied from soon after its compilation. While being the oldest text in this list, the extant manuscript dating to the 14th century is in fact the youngest entry.

• k. neglected by scholars for centuries until 18th c. edo p.; n.s. was subject of study and research from soon after compilation-> n.s. manuscripts much better preserved

Kojiki and Nihon Shoki

• first extant complete books
• k. and n.s. are oldest extant literary and historical japanese texts
• these are (together with kaifuso and manyoshu) some of the oldest known longer Japanese works (but originals are lost, so some/all are later copies) going back to early 8th century

• written to establish supremacy of certain clans by postulating their direct descent from kami
• written in order to legitimize the new state by providing account of creation of world and linking origin of emperors to age of gods
• purpose: make clear imperial (and clan) lineage and other matters of Japanese society and customs
• compilation of kojiki and nihongi was peak of mythbuilding with the purpose of reforming the state into a more centralized state under imperial rule

• only extant ancient record of imperial family and of several clans that formed the nation
• important for shinto mythology (esp. Kojiki, Nihon Shoki)!!! provide historical and spiritual basis for shinto
• rich info on ancient shinto rituals and practices

kojiki nihon shoki differences

• kojiki is relatively primitive account of ancient history and myth; n.s. is intended to be history of modern and ancient times (product of thorough and up to date research)
• n.s. is "official"
• n.s. is ten times longer and much more comprehensive
• n.s. goes right up to the recent past
• n.s. provides variants for the age of gods chapter
• k. concerned with genealogical matters and domestic in outlook; n.s. modelled on chinese histories, compiled largely as document to show foreign countries
• k. neglected by scholars for centuries until 18th c. edo p.; n.s. was subject of study and research from soon after compilation-> n.s. manuscripts much better preserved
• n.s. follows model of Chinese dynastic histories much more faithfully than kojiki (in language, and format/giving dates)

• Kojiki (1), Nihon Shoki* (5), Fudoki (2), Ruiju Kokushi* (2), Eiga Monogatari (1)

Kojiki

• "account of ancient things"/"record of ancient matters"
• oldest surviving chronicle of Japan/oldest extant Japanese historical record
• compiled in 712 by Ou no Yasumaro on order of empress gemmei
• deals with origins of japan and its attendant myths as well as events in yamato up to 628
• written in pure yamato language but transcribed into chinese characters; written in Chinese ideographs but in ancient pure Japanese style
• oldest known version is from 1371/72 (NT)

six national histories (rikkokushi)

• r. were first document-based histories of Japan
• written at court on order of Emperors
• histories were accepted as absolute truth

• writing motivated by giving credibility to the Japanese imperial state (legitimacy of emperor based on descent from sun goddess)
• national histories (->like in china)->turned away from chinese style in heian p. -> new genre "historical tale" (rekishi monogatari) influenced by fictional tale (such as genji monogatari): Varley p. 68!!!!!

nihon shoki

• completed 720
• probably originated in 681 from an order of emperor tenmu
• covers time from mythical period (age of the gods; replicating kojiki) to 697
• written in orthodox classical Chinese (unlike Kojiki)
• more detailed than kojiki and provides alternative versions of myths
• first official history of japan and first of the rikkokushiB
• chinese annalistic style
• by far longest document composed in Japan up until time of completion
• follows chinese models of historical writing

Ruiju kokushi

• (likely) compiled by Sugawara no Michizane
• based on info from rikkokushi: chronologically arranged within thematic chapters (=topical arrangement)
• prepared in late 9th century
• commissioned by emperor uda

eiga monogatari

• [58]

• first vernacular successor of rikkokushi
• oldest historical tale

• first history of the court in classical narrative prose (instead of classical chinese)
• strict chronological/annalistic form, but narrative infused with traditional language of praise (either as in rikkokushi)->giving an imperial aura to main subject fujiwara michinage
• uses Japanese unlike rikkokushi which are written in CHINEse
• rekishi monogatari concentrated not on warriors on battlefield but on aristocratic readers
• akazome emon (lady-in-waiting of michinaga's principal consort Rinshi) is probable author of main part of e.m.
• genre (rek. mono.) characterized by: i) (most important!) scene by scene construction instead of flat historical narration; ii) inclusion of realistic dialogue; iii) presentation of more than one point of view; iv) embellishment of scenes with a wealth of realistic detail
• atypically large for the genre (rekishi monogatari)

• subject: fortunes of fujiwara clan from accession of emperor murakami (946) to death of michinaga (1027) with main focus on michinaga
• focuses on career of fujiwara michinaga (chancellor, regent, father in law of three emperors, one retired emperor and one crown prince)
• probably written soon after 1028; soon after michinaga's death
• eiga monog. describes together with later works (Ookagami, Imakagami) the splendour of the fujiwara
• e.m. is a eulogistic chronological account of the life and times of fujiwara michinaga

• contains wealth of detail of heian period aristocratic life

• rekishi monog. are response of historians to intellectual problem of how Japan could have both an emperor and a regent
• rekishi monog. emerged during fujiwara regency, i.e. at the turning point of ancient imperial rule and classical era

Fudoki

• written in early 8th c. on orders of empress Gemmei (713) to provincial governers
• f.=lit. "records of wind and earth" = provincial gazetteers
• official reports on provinces (history, geography, customs/folklore, local products and produce, fertility of land; geographical/economical/ethnographical data); according to Shoku Nihongi, f. were supposed to record names of villages, products of villages, whether farms were productive, write down origin of names of mountains/rivers/fields, preserve old legends or unusual stories
• f. fixed spelling of town names
• valuable info on country history, local culture, Ortsnamenskunde, local tales

• of more than 60 provinces only one complete and four partial records survive
• only five f. preserved: Bungo (c. 740, 730s; fragments), Harima (c. 715; large parts), Hitachi (714-718; large parts), Hizen (c. 740, 730s; fragments), Izumo (733; complete f.); only extant original is Izumo's; fragments of about 60 fudoki are known (through citations in other works)

• f. possibly written by local governors and local writers
• fudoki written in Chinese (only Izumo f. written in hentai kanbun); f. contain phonographically/phonetically written poems (ca. 20), place names and local vocabulary
• Harima f. in Japanese style kanbun (similar to Kojiki); Hitachi/Bungo f. in orthodox Chinese

• some fudoki formed basis of nihon shoki
• initiative for f. was the same (general effort to conform to Chinese practices) as for histories and poetry anthologies

Japanese literature (waka and prose/monogatari/setsuwa)

General Heian/Kamakura literature

The adaption of the Chinese script, introduced in the 5th or 6th century, and the development of a script that is more suitable to write in the Japanese language in the 9th century is reflected in ancient and classical Japanese literature from the 7th to 13th century. The earliest traces of Japanese literature are from the 7th century and consist of poetry, both Japanese verse (waka) and poetry written in Chinese by Japanese poets (kanshi). While the latter showed little literary merit compared to the large volume of poems composed in China, waka poetry made great progress in the Nara period culminating in the Man'yōshū, an anthology of more than 4000 pieces of mainly tanka from the mid 7th to mid 8th centuries. Until the 9th century, Japanese language texts were written in Chinese characters via the man'yōgana writing system generally using the phonetic value of the characters. Since longer passages written in this system would turn out unwieldily long, man'yōgana was used mainly for poetry while classical Chinese was reserved for prose. Consequently the prose passages in the Man'yōshū are in Chinese and the Kojiki (712), the oldest extant chronicle, uses man'yōgana only for the songs and poems.

A revolutionary achievement was the development of kana, a true Japanese script, in the mid to late 9th century. This new script enabled Japanese authors to write more easily in their own language and led to a variety of vernacular prose literature in the 10th century such as tales (monogatari) and poetic journals (nikki). Both, Japanese waka poetry and Japanese prose reached their highest developments around the 10th century supported by the general revival of traditional values and the high status ascribed to literature by the Heian court. The Heian period (794 to 1185) is therefore generally referred to as the classical age of Japanese literature. Being the language of scholarship, government and religion, Chinese was still practiced by the male nobility of the 10th century while for the most part aristocratic women wrote diaries, memoirs, poetry and fiction in the new script. Indeed the "single most impressive accomplishment of Heian civilization", The Tale of Genji from the early 11th century is a work by a noblewoman (Murasaki Shikibu).

Another literary genre called setsuwa ("informative narration") goes back to orally transmitted myths, legends, folktales, and anecdotes. Setsuwa comprise the oldest Japanese tales and were originally Buddhist influenced and educational. The oldest setsuwa collection is the Nihon Ryōiki (early 9th century). With a widening religious and social interest of the aristocracy, setsuwa collections were compiled again in the late 11th century starting with the Konjaku Monogatarishū The high quality of the Tale of Genji influenced the literature into the 11th and 12th centuries. A large number of monogatari and some of the best poetic treatises were written in the early Kamakura period (around 1200).

-legends/myths (=setsuwa) had been orally transmitted and one of the first extant appearances is in histographical fudoki; first setsuwa collection is nihon ryoiki but golden age was later

plan:

• folk tales etc. -> 8th c. poetry (manyoshu)->9th c. kana -> ...
• or stress kana development and its influence on lit. (first everything in chinese, then short stuff (poems,songs) in japanese written with chinese chars (manyogana), then kana (poetry and prose))

poetry

• starting in 7th century poems (old and new) began to be customarily written down
• composition of chinese poetry (kanshi) started in late 7th c.
• compilation of poetic anthologies in 8th c.: kaifuso (principle corpus of asuka/nara kanshi by japanese authors) and manyoshu (japanese verse)
• generally little literary merit in kanshi
• due to difficulty of writing japanese with chinese characters, initially only short works (poetry) and not prose (which would have turned out too long) were written (e.g. only the poems/songs in kojiki are in "Japanese"; all prose in the Manyoshu is in pure Chinese)

• first half of 9th c.: direct imitation of chinese models; -> kanshi; Japanese poetry (waka) disappeared almost completely from public life;
• waka reappeared together with kana (and with general revival of traditional interests) in mid 9th c.
• waka rise culminated in early 10th c. kokin wakashu imperial waka (with strong kanshi influence) anthology
• poetry contests (utaawase) from 885 to late 11th c.

prose

rest

ancient/Nara

• japanese literature can be traced back to 7th (incl. historical works?) or 8th c.
• japanese poetry made great progress in 8th c.
• nara p. was golden age of poetry
• nara p. poetry has been preserved in the form of an anthology (manyoshu): more than 4000 pieces mainly tanka (short poems), also naga-uta (long poems); subjects: four season, affections, elegiac, allegorical, misc poems
• poetry anthologies compiled from late 7th c. and manyoshu (=encyclopedic collection of poetry) compiled throughout 8th c.
• first native poetry (written with chinese chars) collection manyoshu from late 8th c. (with poems from mid 7th to mid 8th c.)
• manyoshu marked inception of "poetic literature" a genre that constantly flourished thereafter

• around same time as manyoshu another type of literature ("setsuwa"?) emerged: written in Chinese comprising mainly buddhist and confucian texts

general heian

• high quality of vernacular lit. by women writers in classical period (=heian?)
• literature was taken very seriously by the heian court
• heian period was classical age of japanese literature: poetry does not quite reach standards of manyoshu; but abundance and excellence of prose writings it leaves nara p. far behind
• categories of Japanese-language literature of late 9th to early 12th c.: verse, travel diary, mixed verse and prose sketches or episodes, private journals of court and domestic life, tales and novels, and somewhat imaginative accounts of historical personages

Kana/early heian, 9th to early 10th

• 794 - first half of 10th c.: continued prominence of chinese based literature and culture (e.g. nihon ryoiki; written in chinese giving a buddhist and commoner's view of the world) and gradual introduction of native vernacular and cultural forms (particularly court based vernacular literature written in kana)
• waka continued (and increased in importance from ancient (7th/8th c.) to classical period

• revolutionary achievement of mid 9th c. was development of kana->deepening conciousness of native literary tradition
• as in nara period writing was upper-class (aristocracy, priests) and initally largely chinese due to difficulty of writing japanese when using only chinese characters; this changed in 9th century with invention of kana
• introduction of kana also led to vernecular prose literature with early examples including the Tosa Nikki
• major turning point in japanese literature was emergence of kana in late 9th c.; led to first flowering of vernacular lit. (e.g. kokinshu, tale of ise, pillow book, genji,
• rise of kana in late 9th c. (particularly in form of waka) gave birth to a variety of vernacular lit. in 10th c.
• kana became more prominent in early 10th c. -> enabled authors to write more easily in their own language (until then, writing had been either in chinese or used chinese letters to transcribe japanese (->manyoshu))
• kana flourished from 10th c. onward

• kokin wakashu (905) first of 21 imperial anthologies of native poetry
• poetry forms were concretized in imperial anthologies (e.g. kokinshu)
• in early 10th c. two types of prose: i) fairy tales derived from legends of japan, china, india; ii) more realistic poem-tales (poetry linked by prose descriptions); unification of these two genres-> japanese novel (Genji)

10th c.

• in 10th c. chinese remained language of scholarship, government and religion; male nobility continued to write in chinese; aristocratic women adopted native syllabary to write diaries, memoirs, poetry and fiction
• literature (in 10th century?!) was divided in three genres: poetry, tales (monogatari) and poetic journals (nikki)
• around 1000: poetry written in both chinese and japanese (->Wakan roeishu), monogatari soon gained (->Genji,...), many nikki written by women at the same time
• in 10th c. japanese prose evolved to its highest development

11th/12th c.

• late heian p. marked by appearance of anecdote (setsuwa) collections (first was konjaku monogatarishu) continuing medieval nihon ryoiki tradition and reflecting widening religious and social interest of aristocracy
• setsuwa and collections of tales appeared in late 11th c.
  • some (of buddhist origin) were written in chinese; but genre was quickly distanced from religious tradition with konjaku monogatarishu
• high quality of genji influenced literature into 11th and 12th centuries

early kamakura

• increased cultural production by aristocracy: many monogatari (often drawing on Genji which had become model for literary and poetic composition) [59]
• best poetic treatises in early kamak. [60]

• private waka collections (including exchange between poet and his or her acquaintances) led to a variety of new genres: nikki, poem tales (uta monogatari)
• nikki and uta monogatari (poem tales) grew out of the waka tradition
• new and different style arose: descriptive poems (e.g. Tosa Nikki)

Monogatari (物語), Chinese poetry and prose/ Kanshi / kanbun / kanshibun (漢詩文), narratives/setsuwa (説話他)

Japan. prose

• prose overview: Frellesvig p 179ff, [61], [62] introductio

• monogatari (=vernacular tale) emerged in the latter half of 9th century together with kana
• earliest extant monogatari is tale of the bamboo cutter (ca. 909)
• origins of monog. can be traced back to myths/histories/clan-legends of early chronicles (kojiki,nihongi) and gazetteers (fudoki) as well as oral storytelling (which led to anecdotal setsuwa literature)
• in contrast to setsuwa (which claimed to tell the truth), monog. are admittedly fictional
• setsuwa (nihon ryoiki, konjaku monog.) were often written to educate the audience, unlike monog.
• monog. are aristocratic in nature (written for and by aristocracy)
• monog. first flourished in 10th century but was not considered serious literature then (most important were historical chronicles and poetry and most important writing system chinese)
• in heian and medieval japan fiction was by definition beneath serious consideration (->strong incentive for an author to assert that he was telling a true story)
• oldest surviving japanese tales are myths, legends, folktales and anecdotes preserved in 8th century sources (these stories and later ones of the same kind are known as setsuwa)
• setsuwa="telling", "explanatory talk", "informative narration"
• setsuwa features: brief, uncomplicated plot, plain direct language, character delineation through action and dialogue rather than through description and psychol. analysis; predilection for amusing, startling, dramatic or marvelous subject matter; characters and settings from every walk of life
• setsuwa: almost all have oral provenance; all claim factuality; high percentage convey buddhist messages
• setsuwa dropped out of sight after early 14th c.

others

monogatarietc

There are ten National Treasures of six works of Japanese prose and mixed Chinese-Japanese poetry compiled from between the early 9th and the first half of the 13th century. The manuscripts in this list date from between the early 10th to the second half of the 13th century.

• Nihon Ryōiki (setsuwa collection, 2, between 787 and 824 or ca. 822), Tosa Diary (2, 935), Sanpo/Sambo Ekotoba (setsuwa, 1, 984), Wakan rōeishū/Wakanshō (kanshi, 3, ca. 1013), Konjaku Monogatarishū (collection of setsuwa from china/india/japan, 1, early 12th c. after 1120), Tale of Genji commentary/okuiri (1, ca. 1233),

• setsuwa: [63], [64], [65], [66], [67]

• kanshibun/kambungaku/kambun, Kanshi (poetry): [68], [69] (431, 434), [70], [71], [72], [73], [74], [75], [76], [77], [78]
• kambun: [79], [80], [81], [82], [83]
• monogatari (comprises setsuwa): [84]

• Nihon ryoiki:

The three volume Nihon Ryōiki was compiled by the private priest Kyōkai around 822. It is the oldest collection of Japanese anecdote or folk stories (setsuwa) and shows signs of earlier oral storytelling. Combining Buddhism with local folk stories, this work demonstrates karmic causality and functioned as a handbook for preaching. Two out of four extant distinct but incomplete manuscripts have been designated as National Treasures.

• • compiled by the private priest Keikai; Kyoukai
  • ca. 822

• • earliest collection of Buddhist legends in Japan
  • Japan's first setsuwa (anecdote or folk story) collection; with signs of earlier oral storytelling

• • functioned as a kind of handbook of sermons
  • compiled as an aid for monks in preaching

• • depicts underside of society and reality of everyday commoner life
  • Buddhism absorbed local folk stories converted them to their own use to produce Buddhist anecdotes found in Nihon ryoiki
  • demonstrates buddhist principle of karmic causality

• • 116 stories in 3 volumes
  • written in rough unorthodox style of chinese prose
  • there are four (non covering all three volumes) distinct manuscripts: Kofukuji (vol 1.), Shinpukuji (vols 2,3), Maeda(-ke) (vol 3), Koya (three incomplete vols)

• tosa diary:

One of the earliest kana materials and one of the oldest extant works of Japanese prose fiction is the Tosa Diary written by Ki no Tsurayuki in 935. It is also the oldest Japanese travel diary, giving an account of a return journey to Kyoto after a four year term as prefect of Tosa Province. The diary consists of close to 60 poems connected by prose explaining the circumstances that inspired their composition. The work has been valued as a model for composition in the Japanese style. The original manuscript by Ki no Tsurayuki was once stored at Rengeō-in palace library and later in possession of Ashikaga Yoshimasa after which its trace is lost. All surviving manuscripts of the Tosa Diary are copies of this Rengeō-in manuscript. The oldest extant of these is by Fujiwara no Teika from 1235. One year later his son, Fujiwara no Tameie, produced another copy based on the original. Both transcriptions are handwritten facsimile, not only copying the pure text but also the layout, orthographical usages and calligraphy. They have been designated as National Treasures.

• • in kana by Ki no Tsurayuki in 935

• • oldest extant work of Japanese prose fiction
  • one of the earliest kana materials
  • oldest extant private diary
  • oldest Japanese travel literature
  • oldest known literary memoir of importance
  • early heian Japanese language prose work

• • valued as a model for composition in Japanese style

• • descriptive poems/poetic journal
  • content: mainly introduction and recording of poems (close to 60 in total)
  • consists of a large number of poems and often entries are just a poem plus prose (brief comments) about the circumstances that inspired the composition

• • written on return journey to Kyoto after 4 year term as prefect of Tosa province
  • male author (purports...) writes in disguise (use of kana, opening sentence) of a woman; which was not unusual for the time
  • opening sentence: Diaries are things written by men, I am told. I am writing this to show what a woman can do.

• • intrinsic literary worth is not that high compared to historical worth (oldest...)
  • probably he wrote in Japanese (not chinese) because he wished to describe a personal experience (which he could only adequately describe in his native tongue)
  • uses poems to express personal feelings -> model for later memoirs

• Sanpo/Sambo/sanbo ekotoba:

The 984 Sanbō Ekotoba ("The three jewels" or "Tale of the three brothers" or "Notes on the pictures of the three jewels"), was written by Minamoto no Tamenori in Chinese for the amusement of a young tonsured princess. It is a colelction of Buddhist tales and a guide to major Buddhist ceremonies and important figures in Japanese Buddhist history. The designated manuscript from 1273 is known as the Tōji Kanchiin manuscript and is the second oldest of the Sanbō Ekotoba. It is virtually complete unlike the late Heian period (Tōdaiji-gire) which is a scattered assortment of fragments.

• • Manuscript: next oldest copy; virtually complete; known as Toji Kanchiin copy (belonged to Kanchiin subtemple of Touji); oldest copy (Todaiji-gire) is a scattered assortment of fragments (p24 of [85])

• • by Minamoto no Tamenori
  • ="Tale of the three brothers"; ="Notes on the pictures of the three jewels"; "The three jewels"
  • 984

• • guide to Buddhist ceremonies and important figures in Japanese Buddhist history
  • collection of Buddhist tales and accounts of major Buddhist ceremonies
  • collection of 10th century folk tales written in chinese
  • collection of pious anecdotes to provide amusement for a young princess (Sonshi) turned nun (tonsured)
  • caption-story of paintings to console a princess

• Wakan roeishu/wakansho:

The cultural interaction between Japan and China is exemplified by the Wakan Rōeishū, a collection of 234 Chinese poems, 353 poems written in Chinese by Japanese poets (kanshi) and 216 waka, all arranged by topic. Compiled in the early 11th century by Fujiwara no Kintō, it was the first and most successful work of this genre. The English title, "Japanese-Chinese Recitation Collection" indicates that the poems in this collection were meant to be sung. The Wakan Rōeishū has been valued as a source for poetry recitation, waka composition and its calligraphy as it contained both, kana and kanji.

Three manuscripts of the Wakan Rōeishū written on decorated paper have been designated as National Treasures: the two scrolls at the Kyoto National Museum contain a complete transcription of the work and are a rare and fully developed example of calligraphy on an ashide-e' ground; the Konoe edition at Yōmei Bunko is a beautiful example of karakami with five-colored design (saisen); and the Ōtagire is written on dyed paper decorated with gold drawings.

• exemplifies phenomenon of wakan: cultural interaction between japan and china (or more precisely: between japan and japanese visions of china)

• 3 manuscripts:
  • KNM: complete and rare example of calligraphy on an ashide-e ground [86],

• • Yomei bunko: Konoe edition (after konoe household), good example of karakami (cloud paper) ([87] p 139),

• • seikado bunko: seikado edition/otagire

• • ca. 1013; 1018; ca. 1011
  • ="Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing"; = "Songs in Japanese and Chinese"; "Japanese-Chinese Recitation Collection")
  • by Fujiwara no Kintou

• • 217 Japan. and 587 Chinese poems
  • 588 poems written in Chinese and 216 waka
  • combination of three types of poems: Chinese poems (234), kanshi (353) and waka (216); first and most successful of this genre
  • 587 Chinese couplets

• • in 10th c. some of these poems were sung
  • arranged by topic
  • rouei (=recitation; more recitation than song) flourished at beginning of 11th c.; w.r. is lyrics collection for these recitations/songs

• *important as source for poetry recitation, calligraphy (since it contained both kana and kanji) and waka composition
  • contributed to formation of mixed Chinese Japanese style (wakan konkoubun) used in later war tales (tales of the heike,...)
  • it is a testament to the way Japanese poets adopted and adapted chinese topics, imagery and conceptions

• konjaku monogatarishu:

The Konjaku Monogatarishū from ca. 1120 is the most celebrated setsuwa compilation. It is an anonymous collection of more than 1000 anecdotes or tales. About two thirds of these tales are Buddhist telling about the spread of Buddhims from India via China to Japan. As such it is the first world history of Budshim written in Japanese. This National Treasure is also known as the Suzuka Manuscript and consists of nine volumes covering setsuwa from India (vols. 2 and 5), China (vols. 7, 9, 10) and Japan (vols. 12, 17, 27, 29). It is considered to be the oldest extant manuscript of the Konjaku Monogatarishū and has served as source for various later manuscripts.

• • suzuka manuscript is considered oldest extant manuscript of konj. monog. and source of various other manuscripts (kelsey, p 14, [88]), ([89])

• • ca. 1120; early 12th century

• *most celebrated setsuwa compilation
  • first world history on Buddhism written in Japanese
  • "greatest monument of setsuwa literature"

• • ca. 1200 tales, 2/3 Buddhist
  • 1039 setsuwa or anecdotes
  • anonymous collection of more than 1000 tales

• • content: birth of shakyamuni->spread of Buddhism in India->China->Japan; rest about secular life (rulers, ministers, warriors, ... all kinds)
  • content: buddhist and secular subects and many social classes
  • three parts: 5 vols. on India, 5 vols. on China, 21 vols on Japan
  • two purposes: religious (leading audience to deeper understanding of buddhism) and secular (entertainment and practical purposes)
  • provided material for many small collections of early 13th century

• okuiri:

A commentary on the Genji Monogatari by Fujiwara no Teika, known as Okuiri ("Inside Notes" or "Endnotes") has been designated as National Treasure. Written around 1233 it is the second oldest Genji commentary, supplementing the oldest commentary, the Genji Shaku from 1160.

• • ca. 1227; ca. 1233
  • lit. = "Inside Notes"; = "Endnotes"

• • second extant genji commentary (oldest from 1160 is Genji shaku)
  • okuiri is "correction"/supplement to genji shaku
  • preoccupied with literary allusions and sources of genji
  • quoted key lines from genji monog. followed by annotation and interpretation
  • to be used as reference or companion to a complete copy of genji

Others

Others

• biographies (Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu, Go-Uda tennō shinkan Kōbō Daishi den, Shitennō-ji engi) , medical books (Ishinpo), law/rulesbooks (Engishiki, Enryaku Kōtaishiki), temple registries/records (Tōhōki, Omuro sōjōki), music/score books (Kagura wagon hifu, Saibara fu) , dictionaries/encyclopedia/lexica (Hifuryaku, Ruiju Myōgishō, Tenrei Banshō Meigi), + Hokuzanshō

• 14 works in 18 NT
• Shitennō-ji engi (1, 7th c.?, history), Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu (1, late 7th c./by early 8th c., bio), Enryaku Kōtaishiki (1, 803, regulations), Hifuryaku (1, 831, encycl.), Tenrei Banshō Meigi (1, around 830-835, dictionary), Ishinpō (2, 984, med), Engishiki (3, 927, laws and regulations), Kagura wagon hifu (1, 10th c.?, music), Hokuzanshō (2, early 11th c. before 1012, manual), Saibara fu (1, ca. 1050, music), Ruiju Myōgishō (1, around 1100, dictionary), Omuro sōjōki (1, early kamakura p., record), Go-Uda tennō shinkan Kōbō Daishi den (1, 1315, bio), Tōhōki (1, 1352, record)

Two of the oldest works designated are biographies of the Asuka period regent Shōtoku Taishi. The Shitennō-ji Engi, an alleged autobiography by Prince Shōtoku deals with the construction of Shitennō-ji and may have been created in order to promote the temple. Written on imperial order in the early 8th century, the Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu is the oldest extant biography of Shōtoku. It consists of a collection of legendary or miraculous anecdotes emphasizing Shōtoku's Buddhist activities for the sake of imperial legitimacy and stands at beginning of Buddhist setsuwa literature. The oldest extant manuscript of the 803 Enryaku Kōtaishiki, a compendium of rules concerned with the change of provincial governors from 782 to 803, has been designated as National Treasure.

The oldest extant Japanese lexica date to the early Heian period. Based on the Chinese Yupian, the Tenrei Banshō Meigi was compiled around 830 by Kūkai and is the oldest extant character dictionary made in Japan. The Hifuryaku is a massive Chinese dictionary in 1000 fascicles listing the usage of words and characters in more than 1500 texts of diverse genres. It was compiled in 831 by Shigeno Sadanushi and others and is the oldest extant Japanese proto-encyclopedia. There are two National Treasures of the Ishinpō, the oldest extant medical treatise of Japanese authorship compiled in 984 by Tanba Yasuyori. It is based on a large number of Chinese medical and pharmaceutical texts and contains knowledge on among others drug prescription, herbal lore, hygiene, acupuncture, moxibustion, alchemy and magic. The two associated treasures consist of the oldest extant (partial) and the oldest extant complete manuscript respectively.

An invaluable resource for the study of the Heian period court system is the Engishiki, the greatest legal compendium of the ritsuryō age. It was compiled from 905 to 927 by Tadahira and others under command of Emperor Daigo. The three designated National Treasures of the Engishiki represent the oldest extatn manuscript (Kujō edition) and the oldest extant edition of certain date (Kongōji edition). Two National Treasure manuscripts are related to music: the oldest extant kagura song book (Kagura wagon hifu) from around the 10th century and the oldest extant Saibara score (Saibara fu) which is traditionally attributed to Prince Munetaka but based on the calligraphy it appears to date to the mid 11th century. The Hokuzanshō consists of writings by Fujiwara no Kintō on court customs and the function of the Daijō-kan. The designated Kyoto National Museum manuscript of the Hokuzanshō from about 1000 is noted for one of the few early extant examples of hiragana use and for the oldest extant letters in kana written on the reverse side of the scroll. Around the early 12th century a Shingon Buddhist priest compiled a dictionary with a large number of variant form characters known as Ruiju Myōgishō. The designated Kanchiin edition is the oldest extant complete manuscript of this work. Among the youngest items in this list are two temple records: the Omuro Sōjōki giving an account of priests of imperial lineage at Ninna-ji starting from the Kanpyō era, while the 1352 Tōhōki records treasures held at Tō-ji. Kōbō Daishi's biography in an original manuscript penned by Emperor Go-Uda in 1315 has been designated as National Treasure.

Omuro sōjōki

• manuscript from early kamakura p.
• record of priests of imperial lineage at Ninna-ji, starting from the Kanpyō era

Go-Uda tennō shinkan Kōbō Daishi den

• this is the original manuscript (i.e. first and possibly only)
• original and manuscript (which is identical) from 1315
• biography of Kōbō-Daishi (Kūkai)

Tōhōki (history of Tō-ji)

• completed by monk Gohō in 1352

Shitennō-ji engi

• considered to be autobiography by Shotoku Taishi; but several noted Japanese historians believe that he was not the author but it was made to appear that he was (in order to promote the temple)

Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu

• original: early 8th c.; first decade to probably after 720; mostly composed during 8th c.
• in kambun
• written on imperial order
• portrays shotoku in legendary and historical terms for the sake of legitimacy
• collection of records (often miraculous anecdotes) concerning Shotoku
• primarily a Buddhist biography (emphasizes Shotoku's buddhist activities such as temple building and sutra study)
• stands at beginning of Buddhist setsuwa literature
• oldest bio of shotoku

Enryaku Kōtaishiki

• oldest manuscript of this book
• original from 803
• rules concerned with the change of provincial governors from 782 to 803

Hifuryaku

• together with tenrei bansho meigi, one of the oldest extant dictionaries/lexicons
• by Shigeno Sadanushi
• original from 831
• massive Chinese dictionary in 1000 fascicles; identifying usage of each word or character in more than 1500 texts of diverse genres

Tenrei Banshō Meigi

• original: ca. 830 (vols. 1-4)
• original by kukai (vols. 1-4; 5,6by other person)
• kanji lexicon with 16200 characters
• oldest extant true lexicon; oldest extant dictionary/lexicon made in Japan
• based on chinese yupian

Ishinpō, 984

• original dedicated to emperor in 984
• original from late 10th c.
• original by Tanba Yasuyori
• oldest extant medical treatise of Japanese authorship
• based on a large number of chinese medical and pharmaceutical texts
• medical encyclopedia with knowledge on: prescriptions of drugs, herbal lore, hygiene, acupuncture, moxibustion, alchemy, magic, directions for sexual life, regimen and others
• two old manuscripts exist: Ninnaji and Nakarai edition (Ninnaji considered older due to fewer annotations; Nakarai is oldest complete edition)

Engishiki

• original from 927
• collection of procedure compiled in engi era (901-923)
• compiled between 905 and 927 under command of emperor daigo
• by Tadahira et al
• greatest legal compendium of ritsuryo age
• finest source on how heian courtly rule was supposed to function
• one of the greatest compilations of laws and precedents and invaluable in study of heian p. court systems
• topics: propitation of deities and shrines, relation between council of state and provincial HQs, distribution of taxes, procedures for recruiting guards and palace attendants, prescriptions for evaluating provincial governers
• 3 manuscripts are: one NT of oldest and most complete, two NT of oldest with known date

Saibara fu

• oldest extant saibara score
• attributed to Prince Munetaka but based on caligraphy a work of the mid 11th c.
• written in Man'yōgana

Kagura wagon hifu

• kagura music script for the wagon

Hokuzanshō

• collection of writings by fujiwara kinto
• topics court customs and function of daijokan

tnm manuscript

• manuscript from ca. 1000
• noted for one of the few early extant examples of hiragana written on the reverse side of the manuscript: two letters in kana (oldest extant)

Ruiju Myōgishō

• dictionary compiled by Shingon Buddhist priest in mid heian p.
• early 12th c. dictionary containing many variant form characters

Chinese classics, kanseki

• kanseki (=chinese classics) comprises chinese manuscripts, imported chinese books bound in chinese style, chinese books printed in japan[90]

• [91],

Song printed books

Chinese (Song p.) printed books

• not available yet: [92] (p. 287, 369
• 1127-1279
• imported books were:
  • Chinese classics: books or commentaries on: Records of the Grand Historian, Book of Han, Book of Later Han, Classic of History*, Book of Rites*, Book of Songs (Chinese), Book of Changes* ("*" indicates Four Books and Five Classics)
  • encyclopedias

• initially printing in japan only in buddhist temples on small scale (since few literate people)
• how did early printing differ from later (song p.) printing?

General printing

• printing in Japan has (on global standards) an extraordinary long history
  • however from introduction of printing in 8th century it took almost 1000 years until printing was principal means of production of books (that happened at early 17th century when printing became a commercial operation)
  • commercial publishing in china already in song period
  • manuscript culture dominated print culture
• oldest surviving examples of printing in east asia are from 8th century Japan (and Korea) and are "ritual Buddhist printing"

Nara printing

• printing possibly introduced by Ganjin who came to Japan in 753
• oldest extant printed texts (and among the world's oldest printed artifacts) in Japan are dharani, printed from 764 to 770 and placed in miniature wooden pagodas (known as Hyakumantō Darani)
• dharani were printed neither for distribution nor for reading, but for ritual reproduction of the texts
• according to Shoku Nihongi and other sources 1 million dharani printed, ca. 1000 survive
• Hyakumantō Darani are only extant printing samples from nara period

Heian to Muromachi printing

• inbutsu (stamps depicting the Buddha) were used in pre-Heian times and continued to be used in heian period
• in heian period, tendai and shingon monks travelling to china brought back printed Buddhist books/sutras
• Tokushi Yusho argued that the merit attained by handcopying sutras implied that there was no need to use good quality paper for printing or for preserving printed copies
• !!!printing for practical rather than devotional purposes can be dated to the 11th century when song-dynasty printed texts were becoming sought after in japan; in japan earliest printing for people to read is in 11th century
  • in this time printing is associated with sutra commentaries and doctrinal works: textual reproduction did not have devotional merit (unlike for sutras)
• practical printing gained popularity in kamakura p.
• sutra copying continued in heian and kamakura periods despite of increasing availability of japanese printed texts or song printed editions (!!!which were imported from late heian p. onwards)

• secular chinese texts answered educational, intellectual and literacy needs in kamakura and muromachi p. as in the heian p.
  • only few of these were printed in japan; most circulated as manuscript: this was true also for new chinese texts imported as song printed editions, because supply was insufficient to meet demand

Libraries

• By the time of the Taira supremacy, collections of Chinese books had become important status symbols among upper-class Japanese
• Yet, the Chinese books brought to Japan about this time, in the thousands and even in the tens of thousands, not only provided the nuclei for many new libraries but motivated the Japanese to print their own books and to a great extent stimulated and made possible the varied and energetic scholarly activities of the coming medieval age.

• in kamakura p. new book collections appeared particularly at zen temples of kyoto and kamakura (gozan); these gozan often retained integrity as collections
  • e.g. tofukuji had at least two libraries with confucian, daoist, buddhist and Song neo-confucian texts

• medieval kanto area not only occupied by fierce warriors, but eastern provinces had a tradition of respect for learning going back to the early Kamakura p.; hojo regents encouraged literature and fine arts and most of the great families promoted classical studies
• elite warrior families founded libraries with both Japanese and Chinese works that became centers of learning

Kanazawa bunko

• most important new library in kamakura p. was kanazawa bunko (est. late 13th/1275 c. by houjou family; houjou sanetoki)
  • seal of ownership used by kanazawa bunko librarians allows to trace existing copies back
  • eclectic in scope, embracing lit. culture of all of east asia
  • collection dispersed at end of 16th century; transferred to edo by tokugawa ieyasu in early 17th c.
  • contains 20,000 works and 7,000 manuscripts collected by sanetoki and successors
  • great number of books including song editions of chinese works

Ashikaga Bunko

• most important library founded (or restored) in muromachi p. was ashikaga gakko
  • bulk of library were confucian texts and exegetical works (also some buddhist and japanese work, mostly written in chinese)
  • built in 1432 to educate boys of uesugi clan
  • library was revived and replenished by uesugi norizane

in China

• late Tang printing industry was largely religious producing scriptures, prayers, and popularly useful texts (calendars, almanacs)
• in five dynasties period and again in song, the government realized opportunities of printing for politically and ideologically important texts such as the Classics
• Song was time of great advancements in Chinese civilization and art, religion, philosophy
• Song was exceptional age for scholarship: most notably in history and in compilation of encyclopedias and catalogues of art works; scholarly activity was greatly facilitated by printing (developed centuries before by chinese)
• Chinese publishing industry first took off during Song Dyansty (4 centuries after invention/first evidence of printing)
• Classical, philosophical, religious, literary, education and geopolitical were sold to Japan (and other neighboring countries) throughout the Song
  • attempts to control exports by chinese government for political reasons failed (smuggling...)
• private book collections (in china) started to show impact of printing from 12th century onward

book exchange China, Japan

• eager book exchange between china and Japan since 6th century/intro of buddhism
• by 9th century about half of all Chinese literature and classical books present in japan
• by 1192 the shuttles of commercial boats between China and Japan became more frequent.->second high tide of book distribution in japan since sui/tang dynasties
• Japanese visitors to Sung China were much impressed by the general availability of printed books on a great variety of subjects, including history, Buddhism, Confucianism, literature, medicine, and geography, and carried them in ever greater numbers back to Japan.
• Song interest in foreign trade with Japan and maritime activity of Taira sped up process of cultural transmission from Song
  • this resulted in revival of pure scholarship as in nara period (in heian period courtier society was fascinated mainly/exclusively by literature/poetry)
• in 13th century Chinese books of the Confucian school of idealist philosophy were also distributed to Japan in large scale

final intro

Printing had been known in Japan from at least the 8th century, when a large number of dharani known as Hyakumantō Darani, were printed from 764 to 770 and placed in miniature wooden pagodas. These count among the oldest extant printed texts in East Asia and were likely made by woodblock printing. However, the Hyakumantō Darani were ritual Buddhist printings and as such neither meant for distribution nor for reading. This practice of devotional printing continued into the Heian period. The first practical printing in Japan can be dated to the 11th century and is associated with sutra commentaries and doctrinal works for which handcopying did not entail religious merit. Despite of the increasing popularity of printing, many texts, particularly Japanese literature continued to be copied by hand on manuscript scrolls and commercial printing did not take off until the early 17th century.

Printing in China initially had a similar development starting with the printing of religious scriptures, prayers and popularly useful texts such as almanacs or calendars which were produced for local use by temples. By the Five Dynasties, the government realized the opportunities of printing political and ideological texts such as the Classics. The ensuing Song Dynasty saw great advancements in art, religion and philosophy with scholarly activity greatly facilitated by printed books. Consequently, the Chinese publishing industry took off during the Song Dynasty, several hundred years before the same happened in Japan. Enhanced by the Song interest of foreign trade and the maritime activity of the Taira, the book exchange between China and Japan saw a second high after the Sui and Tang Dynasties starting in 1192. Japanese visitors to Song China returned with a large number of printed books on a variety of subjects such as history, philosophy, Buddhism, Confucianism, literature, medicine and geography causing a revival of pure scholarship which had been sidelined during the obsession with poetry of the Heian period courtier society.

The supply of imported printed editions of Chinese texts was insufficient to meet the demand and by the time of the Taira supremacy collections of Chinese books had become status symbols among the upper class of Japan. Books were collected and formed the nuclei of many new libraries in particular those associated with Zen temples of Kyoto and Kamakura or those founded by samurai families of the Kantō region. These libraries became centers of learning and to a great extent stimulated the varied and energetic scholarly activities of the coming medieval age. The most important of these new libraries in the Kamakura period was the Kanazawa Bunko, established in 1275 by Hōjō Sanetoki. Eclectic in scope it had a huge collection of books embracing the literary culture of all of East Asia, including a great number of Song editions of Chinese works. The collection was dispersed at the end of the 16th century and partially transferred to Edo by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Librarians of Kanazawa Bunko used an ownership seal which allows to trace existing copies back to that library. During the Muromachi period Uesugi Norizane revived in 1432 the Ashikaga Gakko library that came to house a bulk of mainly Confucian texts and exegetical works.

• history of japanese printing (from china, 8th century oldest extant, devotional printing, first practical/printing for people in 11th c., commercial publishing took until early 17th c., handwritten manuscript culture dominated especially for japanese literature)
• hist. of chinese pr. (old. extant records 8th cent., devotional printing as in japan, commercial publishing in song,)
• exchange ( (handwritten) books import to japan since 6th century mainly by monks travelling to china, especially in asuka and nara period and again with song dynasty (1192), confucian school books

WRITINGS: others

Buddhist writings

The concept of writing came to Japan from the Korean kingdom of Baekje in the form of classical Chinese books likely written on paper and in the form of manuscript rolls (kansubon) such as sutras. This probably happened at the beginning of the 5th century (around 400), and certainly together with Buddhism during the 6th century. One of the factors that lead to a rise in the importance of writing, was the increasing popularity of Buddhism, which had been strongly promoted by Prince Shōtoku (574–622). Not a single sutra before the closing of the 6th century survives. The Sangyō Gisho ("Annotated Commentaries on the Three Sutras"), traditionally attributed to Prince Shōtoku, is the oldest extant Japanese text of any length. Buddhism required the study of sutras in Chinese and in order to satisfy the growing demand, imported Sui and Tang manuscripts were copied, first by Korean and Chinese immigrants and from around the mid-7th century by Japanese scribes. By 673 the entire Buddhist canon was systematically copied by them. The oldest extant complete sutra copied in Japan dates to 686 and has been designated as National Treasure. The copying of Buddhist texts including sutras dominated the Japanese writing activities in the 7th and 8th century over the copying of Chinese secular or local Japanese works (of which there were few). Eventually the state founded a Sutra Copying Bureau (shakyōjo) before 727 at which highly specialized calligraphers, proofreaders and metal polishers tried to answer the large demand for Buddhist texts. Besides copying for duplication, sutras were also copied with the aim of acquiring religious merit. This is one of the reasons why despite of the knowledge of printing, nearly all Buddhist texts in 8th century Japan were copied by hand.

Sutra copying reached its peak in the Nara period with most documents produced being sutras in particular the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Daihannya) sutra and the Lotus Sutra. Most of the sutras of the time were written in black ink on paper dyed pale yellow. However some were made with gold or silver ink on indigo, purple or other colored paper; in particular those that were produced following a 741 decree by Emperor Shōmu to distribute Konkōmyō Saishōō sutras written in gold letters among the provincial temples. Many sutra copies contain a colophon with the name of the sponsor—often somebody from the ruling class—and the reason of copying which was usually related to the health or salvation of people or the state.

The imperial family and leading aristocrats continued to sponsor sutra copying after the shakyōjo closed at the end of the 8th centuy. Starting in the early Heian period, sutra style had become flowery and ornate with lavish decorations as sutras were not meant exclusively for practical use in recitation but for dedication and sacrifice. Devotional sutra copying was more often undertaken by the initiator than was the case in the Nara period. New forms of decoration became in fashion by the early 11th century including placing each character in the outline of a stupa, on lotus pedestals or next to depictions of Boddhisattvas. Sutras were increasingly furnished with frontispieces from the 11th century onward. Calligraphy used in writing shifted from Chinese to Japanese style. Sutra copying continued into the Kamakura and subsequent periods but only rarely to comparable artistic effect. With the import of printed Song editions in the Kamakura period, hand-copying of the complete scriptures died out and sutra copying was only practiced for its devotional aspect. 48 sutras or sets of sutras from the 6th century Western Wei to 14th century Nanboku-chō period have been designated as national treasures. Some of the oldest items in this list originated in China.

sacred books (sutras)

• 46 NT

pre-Nara

• increasing popularity of Buddhism (introduced in ca. mid 6th century) was a factor in the rise of importance of writing:
  • study of doctrine of Buddhism by Japanese involved studying sutras in Chinese translation
  • to answer large demand for Buddhist texts and to further promote Buddhism, a Sutra Copying Bureau (shakyoujo) was set up by the state (before 727)
    • shakyoujo used standardized format of 17 chars per line; highly specialized work with calligraphers, proofreaders, metal polishers,...
  • large scale sutra copying was carried out substantially before 727
• need for sutra copying for: i) use in teaching; ii) copying itself was a meritorious act; to acquire merit

• continental cultural influence began in mid 6th c.;but not a single extant sutra before the close of the 6th century

• sutra copying by Japanese (as opposed to immigrants) probably began in earnest around the mid 7th century
• by 673 entire Buddhist canon was systematically copied by Japanese scribes
• oldest extant Japanese copy of a complete sutra is from 686 (and NT)

• in 7th and 8th centuries, greater part of effort was paid to copying of buddhist texts transmitted from china rather than copying chinese secular works or texts composed in Japan (of which there were few)
• originally copies were based on sui and tang manuscripts; later definitely after the end of official contact with china in heian p. (reducing flow of manuscripts to japan), copies were based on copies made in japan

Nara

• primary documents in nara p. are sutras
• peak of sutra copying in nara period (but sutra copying had earlier origins)
• center of sutra copying in nara period was shakyoujo (defunct at end of nara period)
• sutras were also copied at other scriptoriums (not only shakyoujo) in nara period

• printing was known (from china) in 8th century japan but since religious merit could be accrued by copying sutras, nearly all buddhist texts of that period were copied by hand (and contain many variant characters)
• most nara period sutra copying with black ink on paper dyed pale yellow (to prevent insect damage)
• but in nara p. some made with gold or silver ink on indigo (or less common purple or other colors) dyed paper (one of the first references is in a 741 decree by shomu to distribute konkōmyō saishōōkyō sutra copies written in gold letters to each of the provincial temples (kokubunji) he had established
• most frequently copied texts in nara period: daihannyakyo and lotus sutra
• many sutra copies have colophon containing the name of the person who had requested or sponsored the undertaking (at least in nara period this was usually not the same as the one who copied the sutras) and the reason (usually health or salvation of people or the state) for copying
• sutra copying generally related to the ruling class/court (i.e. sponsors)

heian period

• practice of sutra copying continued in heian and subsequent periods despite of printing (but not on nara p. scale)
• printing started to be used (but almost exclusively for buddhist texts in chinese)
• even after sutra copying bureau closed, the imperial family, and leading aristocratic clans continued to sponsor sutra copying

• in heian period sutras were even more lavishly decorated
• by end of 8th century sutra style had become flowery and ornate (designed for stylistics aspect rather than practical use)
• style became more lavish and sensational
• late 8th to early 9th centuries sutras appeared that were not meant exclusively for recitation but for dedication and oblation

• from 11th century onward it became more and more common to furnish (gold/silver ink on indigo) paper sutras with frontispiece
• new forms of decoration in use by early 11th century: e.g each character in outline of stupa, each character on lotus pedestal or characters next to boddhisattvas
• shift from chinese style to Japanese style calligraphy in heian/kamakura p.

• rise of new sects (shingon, tendai) and decline of six nara sects led to change in emphasis and reduction in demand for copied sutras (esoteric buddhism rather copied texts within temples for own use than having it done by other institutions or as devotional excercise)

• devotional sutra copying tended to be undertaken by initiator (unlike in nara p.)

• in heian p. more extant copies of lotus sutra than of any other sutra taken together (due to enhanced belief in power of lotus sutra: nichiren,...)
• 1050 to 1250 "golden age of sutra copying", more than 40 complete sets of the canon produced
• sutra copying reached highest volume in 11th-12th centuries

post-heian period

• sutra copying continued but rarely to such artistic effect as before
• import of printed song editions of buddhist scriptures -> only reason for sutra copying was devotional aspect
• sutra copying of complete canon died out with the introduction of printed sutras from China/Korea; last hand copied set in Japan started in 1412

Compilations, sacred teachings

Nara period Buddhism was dominated by six state controlled sects that had been introduced from the mainland and were centred around the ancient capitals in Asuka and Nara. These schools were generally scholastic in nature, closely connected with the court and represented a doctrine that was far away from the daily life of the people. In 804, two Japanese monks, Kūkai and Saichō, travelled to China and on their return established Tendai and Shingon Buddhism respectively. Unlike their predecessors both esoteric schools took into account the needs of the common people and though their origins lay in China over time they acquired local Japanese traits. Generally the 9th century was a time in which Chinese learning thrived in Japan and authors produced a wide variety of works in Chinese language including commentaries and treatises on a variety of subjects.

A number of new sects appeared in Japan in the 12th and 13th century as a natural reaction to the difficult teachings of older schools and partially motivated by the notion of mappō. Growing out of an Amida cult, the Jōdo Shinshū Pure Land school was founded in 1224 by Shinran and attracted a following from all classes and ocupations. Three years later, Dōgen introduced the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism emphasizing meditation and dharma practice. The first truly Japanese school of Buddhism goes back to Nichiren's proclamation of his teachings in 1253. Nichiren Buddhism was exceptional for being militant and intolerant. The central focus of Nichiren's teaching was the veneration of the Lotus Sutra.

Fourteen treatises and commentaries of famous Japanese monks dating from the early Heian to the Kamakura period have been designated as national treasures. These include three commentaries by Kūkai on two of the main mantras (Dainichikyō and Kongōhannyakyō) of Shingon Buddhism, works by Shinran discussing Pure Land Buddhism, mappō and Amida, a manual on zazen "seated meditation" by Dōgen and two works by Nichiren related to his teachings.

• seikyo = sacred teachings, teaching of the sages, secular ethical teachings, ("comparative ideological critique"?)
• 14 NT
• [93], [94], [95], [96], [97], [98], [99]

• teachings, sutra commentaries by famous monks: Dōgen (Sōtō school of Zen), Shinran (Jōdo Shinshū), Nichiren (Nichiren Buddhism), Kūkai (Shingon)
• nara period: six great chinese schools; from heian period new sects: esoteric buddhism (shingon, tendai) and first truly japanese school (Nichiren in late heian p.); kamakura period: pure land schools (e.g Jōdo Shinshū by shinran) and zen (e.g. Soto by dogen)
• priests travelled to china and brought new thoughts (check if true for all)

• main texts of shingon that kukai discussed: Great Sun Sutra (Dainichikyo), Diamond Sutra (Vajrasekhara Sutra (Kongōchō-kyō 金剛頂経))
• shinran discusses/comments: Pure Land Buddhism
• dogen discusses zazen

• Nara period Buddhism was dominated by six Nara sects; similar to Chinese Buddhism
• 9th century was time in which chinese learning thrived in japan; books in chinese by japanese authors included: histories, legal compendia, and commentaries, manuals of court procedure, dictionaries, encyclopedias, religious tracts, travel diaries, treatises on a variety of subjects, and poetic anthologies

Tekagami

Collections of exemplary calligraphy or tekagami (lit. "mirror of the hands") were created by cutting pages and sections of old books and scrolls of sutras, poems and letters and arranging them in albums ordered chronologically or by social status. At the early 16th century calligraphic connoisseurs of the Kohitsu house had practiced activities aimed at preserving ancient calligraphic works. Tekagami production appears to have started in the Momoyama period. These albums not only served as model books for calligraphy practice and the emulation of old styles but also as reference works for authentication in the growing antique market of the time. Today, the selection of calligraphers and the type of calligraphies in a tekagami' tell about the changing tastes in classical Japanese-style calligraphy over the years. Four tekagami containing works from the 8th century Nara to the 15th century Muromachi period have been designated as National Treasures.

• "mirror of the hands"
• ="album of exemplary calligraphy"
• collection of examples of calligraphy used in 17th century to learn the art of calligraphy

• collection of excerpts from old scrolls or books of sutras, poems and letters
• t.=cutting pages and sections of books and scrolls and reformatting them in albums in chronological order or by social status)

• calligraphic connoisseurs of the Kohitsu house started at early 16th century practices geared towards preserving traces of ancient calligraphic hands, among others the production of t. (in momoyama period)
• t. creation appears to have begun in momoyama period

• in t. calligraphic identities were simulated through fragments of accepted works
• not only used as model books for calligraphy practice and emulation of old styles; t. were also related to growing antique market as potent resources for authentication
• selection of calligraphers in a tekagami, its types of calligraphy and its order tell us about the changing tastes in classical Japanese-style calligraphy over the years

Kohitsu

In Japanese calligraphy Kohitsu (古筆) originally referred to works on scrolls or bound books by ancient calligraphers or poets created from the 8th to 15th century. In today's use the term describes mainly copies of poetry anthologies from the Heian to mid-Kamakura period. Since they were made as artful daily items for the nobility, in addition to a beautiful script, attention was payed to the choice of paper (which was often decorated), the binding, mountings and even accompanying boxes. Stylistically kohitsu were written in Japanese kana in cursive script (sōgana). In the Momoyama and early Edo period, surviving kohitsu were often cut (kohitsu-gire), mounted on hanging scrolls and put up in a tea room. Five scrolls of kohitsu poetry collections from the mid-Heian period have been designated as national treasures. They were made by two calligraphers: Fujiwara no Yukinari and Ono no Michikaze.

• k. today describes mainly copies of poetry anthologies from heian to mid-kamakura p.
• "k." originally referred to calligraphy works by ancient calligraphers or poets
• original format of k. was scroll or bound book
• made as artful daily items for nobility; by paying attention to choice of paper, binding strings, mountings, acompanying boxes; but most important was beauty of script itself
• heian to kamakura period, 8th to 15th century

• wayo style/kana
• in sousho mit hiragana or in sougana

*often uta (poems) on decorated paper (shita-e)

• made mainly for decorative purposes, e.g as hanging scroll in tea ceremony
• in momoyama and early edo period, the k. (which had survived as scrolls or "faltbuecher") were often cut (kohitsu-gire), mounted on kakemono and put up in a tea room
• one reason behind popularity of k. was popularity of tea ceremony in 16th century and use of dankan (segments) of k. for use on hanging scrolls or as compilations

Kaishi, futokorogami

Kaishi or futokorogami were sheets of paper carried by high-ranking people at the breast folded in their kimonos. They were used for writing letter or tanka and similar sheets were employed during the tea ceremony. Papers came in a variety of sizes and colours depending on the rank and sex of those using them. At court men wrote on white, women only on red kaishi paper. Over time the paper format was standardized with sizes ranging from about 28 cm × 36 cm (11 in × 14 in) to 36 cm × 56 cm (14 in × 22 in). The folding style, labelling and other stylistic features differed from school to school. Four items from the Heian and Kamakura periods have been designated as National Treasures in the kaishi category. They are single sheets or sets of sheets mounted on hanging scrolls or bound in an album and contain poetry of Japanese rulers and famous poets.

• sheets of paper carried by high-ranking people and samurai folded in their kimonos;
• ="folding paper"

• used for various purposes, among othere for writing poetry
• used to write letters or poems; similar sheets also used during tea ceremony
• worn at breast

• differents sizes and colors depending on rank and sex of those using them: at court men wrote on whit, women at red paper
• initially no fixed formats, later standards developed such as sizes: from ca. 28x36 cm to 36 x 56 cm
• size also depended on rank of user
• folding style, labeling, etc depended on the school

Bokuseki (12th - 14th c., kamakura to Nanboku-cho, Song to Yuan)

Bokuseki is a type of Japanese calligraphy practiced by Zen monks or lay practitioners of Zen meditation. It is characterised by freely written bold characters often ignoring classical standards and criteria of calligraphy. The brush is moved continuously across the paper and lines are rich in variations. Unlike other calligraphy, bokuseki are considered "religious art" and a manifestation of the artist's understanding of the Dharma. In this sense the literal meaning of the word "bokuseki" = "ink trace" is understood as a trace of the enlightened mind.

The bokuseki style developed from Song Dynasty calligraphy and was brought together with Zen Buddhism from China to Japan starting with Eisai in 1191. Imported late 12th century works from China were highly regarded in Japan and subsequently Japanese priests started to produce their own bokuseki in the 13th and 14th century. Later bokuseki became part of the zen practice and serves as meditation help They were often mounted on hanging scrolls and displayed in temples and tea rooms. The master of the Japanese tea ceremony, Sen no Rikyū, considered them elementary to the tea ceremony, placing the participants in the right frame of mind. Bokuseki gained in importance through the chanoyu in the Muromachi and Momoyama periods. Daitō Kokushi and Musō Soseki, both from the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, were the most famous bokuseki masters of the time.

The bokuseki style is present in a variety of Zen genres such as Buddhist sermons or Dharma talks (hōgo), certificates of enlightenment (inkajō), death verses (yuige), gatha verses (geju), poetry (shi), letters, names and titles given to a monk by his master (jigo), exhortory sermons (shidōgo), gakuji, inscriptions on Zen paintings (san) and Zen circles.

definition

• black ink (sumi-e) brush writing by zen priests or laymen who practiced zen meditation
• b. usually associated with medieval Chinese and Japanese Zen priests of Rinzai school
• priests were calligraphic amateurs: uninhibited brushes, often written in jet black ink

style of writing

• usually boldly and freely written
• b. often ignores classical standards and criteria
• b. schreibstil leitet sich von Sung stil her: charakt. fuer b. sind kontinuitaet der pinselbewegung (umpitsu ketsu-ji), variationsreiche pinsellinie, wahrhaftiger ausdruck des selbst

writing as expression of mind

• "zen artists strive to portray the significance of the object of thought by simplicity
• b. are said to be expressions of the artist's understanding of the dharma
• bokuseki="ink trace", understood as trace of the enlightened mind
• b. is manifestation of religious enlightenment and "religious art" (this is difference to other calligraphy)

history

• bokuseki kam mit zen-buddhismus nach Japan; first: eisai 1191 (rinzai)
• late 12th century Chinese b. works were highly regarded in Japan and caused Japanese priests to produce b. in Japan of the 13th-14th cent.
• bokuseki entfaltet sich unter chin. einfluss besonders in Kamakura period
• spaeter bokuseki ist teil der zen-uebung und dient als meditationshilfe
• b. gewann weiter an bedeutung durch chanoyu in Muromachi and Momoyama periods
• bedeutendste jap. b. meister sind: daitou kokushi, musou kokushi/musou soseki (both rinzai school monks)

display

• b. often mounted on brocade and hung as art
• popular for use as hanging scrolls in tea rooms (chashitsu)
• works were displayed in temples and tea rooms
• Sen no Rikyu considered b. elementary for the tea ceremony placing participants in proper frame of mind

genres

• typical genres: Buddhist sermons (hougo), poetry (geju), certificates of attaining spirited enlightenment (inkajou), study and explanation of history of names of other priests (azagousetsu), study of character writing by other priests to determine whether they were beautifully executed
• bokuseki werke werden nach inhalt und funktion im zen leben in etwa 13 gruppen eingeteilt: inkajo (geistl. siegel), hogo (gesetzeswort, sprueche), jigo (namen, titel), gago no ge (gatha), yuige (hinterlassenes, letztes gedicht),...
• various types:
  • inkajo: certificate of enlightenment
  • jigo: name given to a monk by his master
  • hougo: dharma talks
  • geju: gatha (a type of Buddhist verse)
  • yuige: death verse
  • shidougo: exhortory sermon
  • shi: poetry (ones own or that of a poet/master)
  • gakuji: two or three large characters written horizontally for display on a wall or over a doorway
  • shokan: letters
  • san: inscriptions on zen paintings
  • ichi (ni) gyo mono: one or two line zen saying mounted on scroll
  • enso: zen circles

Refs

• Baroni, Helen Josephine (June 2002). The illustrated encyclopedia of Zen Buddhism. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 9780823922406. Retrieved 2011-01-22.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Dumoulin, Heinrich; Heisig, James W.; Knitter, Paul F. (2005-09-25). Zen Buddhism : a History: Japan. World Wisdom, Inc. ISBN 9780941532907. Retrieved 2011-01-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Earnshaw, Christopher J. (1989-12-15). Sho, Japanese calligraphy. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 9780804815680. Retrieved 2011-01-23.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Frédéric, Louis (2005). Japan encyclopedia (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674017536. Retrieved 2010-03-19.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Levine, Gregory P. A. (2005). Daitokuji: the visual cultures of a Zen monastery. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295985404. Retrieved 2011-01-31.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Lewin, Bruno (1994-12-32). Kleines Lexikon der Japanologie: zur Kulturgeschichte Japans (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 9783447036689. Retrieved 2011-01-22. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Noma, Seiroku (2003). The Arts of Japan: Ancient and medieval. Kodansha International. ISBN 9784770029775. Retrieved 2011-01-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Stevens, John (1981-07-12). Sacred calligraphy of the East. Shambhala. ISBN 9780394748320. Retrieved 2011-01-23.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)

statistics

• Aichi
  • Nagoya: 4

• Chiba
  • Sakura: 3

• Fukuoka
  • Dazaifu: 2

• Hyogo
  • Itami: 1

• Kagawa
  • Takamatsu: 1

• Kanagawa
  • Yokohama: 1

• Kōchi
  • Kōchi: 1

• Kyoto
  • Kyoto: 36

• Mie
  • Ise: 1

• Miyagi
  • Sendai: 2

• Nara
  • Nara: 2
  • Tenri: 5

• Osaka
  • Izumi: 1
  • Kawachinagano: 2
  • Minoh: 1
  • Osaka: 6

• Saga
  • Saga: 1

• Shiga
  • Ōtsu: 6

• Tochigi
  • Ashikaga: 4

• Tokyo
  • Tokyo: 40

• Wakayama
  • Kōya: 2

• Yamaguchi
  • Hōfu: 2