Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/574

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JAPAN (Language and Literature)

the Hojo dynasty of ministers fell into the hands of the Uyesugi, who were ministers under the Ashikaga. It is written in very bad Chinese, but contains a number of official documents which are useful examples of the current style of writing. The first printed edition appeared in 1605, and a second in 1624, with an interlinear Japanese translation. A valuable work for comparison with the Adzuma-kagami is the Gukuan Sho, in 7 books, by the Buddhist priest Jichin Osho. It contains notices of the mikados from Jimmu to Juntoku Tenno (1211–'20), and much information with regard to the existing Buddhist monasteries and the affairs of the Kamakura shogunate. It appears to have been written about the middle of the first half of the 13th century. The Shokiuki is a record of the rebellion of Hojo Yoshitoki, in 1221, against the ex-mikado Go-Toba, whom, with his son Tsuchi-mikado and the reigning mikado Juntoku, he banished to various parts of Japan. The Horeki Kanki, in 3 books, is an account of events which took place between the years 1156 and 1341, by an anonymous author. The Jinko-shoto-ki, in 6 books, by Kitabatake Chikafusa (1293–1359), contains the history of the mikados from the commencement of the mythological period down to the accession of Go-Murakami Tenno in 1339, which is the date also of its composition. It was written to prove that the "southern emperor" was the legitimate descendant of Tensho Daizin, and his rival, the nominee of the Ashikaga family, a mere usurper. On this account it is very highly thought of by Japanese, but in point of literary execution it is very inferior, and shows the extent to which the language had then been corrupted. It was first printed in 1649. There is a supplement to it in one book, which continues the history down to the reign of Go-Hanazono (1429–'64). Many other narratives of the same period exist, of which the most important is the Taiheiki, in 41 books, containing a minute account of the events between 1318 and 1367. Various authors were engaged upon it, and it was composed at different times between the years 1334 and 1382. About the end of the 14th century a clean copy was made by the order of the shogun Yoshimochi for some Chinese officials on a visit to Japan. There is a variorum edition called Sanko Taiheiki, by two Mito scholars, Imai Kosai and Naito Teigen, in 64 books. The most complete edition is that known as the Taiheiki Komoku, published in 1668 in 60 volumes, with many notes. It contains besides the usual text a list of the mikados and their chief ministers from Jimmu Tenno to Ogimachi Tenno (1558–'87), a treatise on the ancient court dress, notes on the division of the provinces at various periods, treatises on the duties of civilians and military men by Fugifusa, a servant of Godaigo Tenno (1319–'38), a treatise on war by Kusunoki Masashige, and a volume of legends relating to celebrated swords. The literary style of the Taiheiki is no better than that of the Jinko-shoto-ki; it is wanting in unity of design, and is overloaded with references to Chinese and Indian history. The Meitokki, in 3 books, relates the history of the rebellion of Yamana Ugikiyo and Yamana Mitsuyoshi in 1390; and the Oyeiki, of the rebellion and destruction of Ouchi Yoshihiro in 1399. The Chinyoki is an account of the raising to the throne of Go-Hanazono Tenno in 1429, written by his father, the prince Dokin Shinno. The Onin-ki is an account of the civil war waged by Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sozen for the position of chief minister to the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa; it raged for six or seven years (1467–'73), and only came to an end through the death of both chiefs. The Kamakura Ozoshi is a collection of historical papers on events which occurred at Kamakura between 1379 and 1479. The style marks the transition from the pure Japanese of the monogatari to the modern language. The author is unknown. The Odai Ichiram, in 7 volumes, is the work of Hayashi Shunsai (1618–'80), and contains the history of the mikados from Jimmu Tenno down to Ogimachi Tenno (1558–'87). It was written about 1652 and printed in 1664. The style of composition is decidedly inferior, and it is scarcely worthy of notice but for the fact that a translation of it into French was published in 1840 by Klaproth. The best history of the life and achievements of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Taiko-sama) is the Taiko-ki, in 21 books (11 volumes), composed about 1625 by an unknown author; it contains a number of contemporary documents of high value for philology. III. Laws. Closely connected with history is the department of laws of all kinds. These are divided by Japanese writers into four branches, for which exact equivalents cannot easily be found in the English language. The preface to the Konin Kaku says: "The object of ritsu is to warn and correct; that of rio, to induce and persuade; the kaku are rules made for special emergencies; the shiki supplement the whole." Of these, ritsu seems to correspond to penal law, rio to administrative law; kaku are decrees and notifications explanatory of the ritsu and rio, and the shiki are supplementary directions for fulfilling the objects of the rio. According to native writers, the earliest attempt at framing a code was that made by Shotoku Taishi in the year 604 (12th of Suiko Tenno), who composed 17 chapters of laws, which are preserved in the 5th book of the Shiugai Sho; they are rather a collection of moral precepts than laws. In 668 (1st year of Tenji Tenno) 22 chapters of rio were compiled. In 701 Fujiwara Fubito and others drew up 6 books of ritsu and 11 of rio, which were again superseded in 718 by a new code of both in 10 books each. Of the former but a small portion has been preserved, and the fragments have been published by Hanawa Hokiichi in his great collection entitled Gunsho Ruijiu. The supplement to the ritsu, with a commen-