Table Of ContentCopyright by
Osamu Shimizu
1952
*
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NIHON MONTOHJ TENN0 JITSUROKU
AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION, WITH A SURVEY OF
THE EARLY NINTH CENTURY IN JAPAN
by
Osamu Shimizu
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy, in the Faculty of
Philosophy, Columbia University.
New York City May, 1951
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FOREWORD
The present work is a study, rather than a thesis attempting
to prove a particular point of view* It ie a first step, not the
last, in a consideration of Japan in the middle of the ninth century*
This study has been divided into two parts. The first part
contains background material for the early Helan period (781-967).
The second part is a translation of the Nihon Montoku TennS Jitsuroku
(commonly known as the Montoku Jiteuroku), one of the basic sources
of Japanese history. If the formal chronological entries of this
official history are to have meaning, the reader must have some
understanding of the political, economic, and social conditions of the
time, as well as an appreciation of the basic cultural forces at work.
Consequently, background material is presented on these phases of
Japan in the ninth century. This is followed by a biographical
account of Emperor Montoku, and a bibliographical analysis of the
Montoku Jitsuroku, the official chronicle of his reign®
If this study makes any contribution to a knowledge of Japan
in the ninth century, the author will have achieved his purpose.
Only when the entire series of National Chronicles has been trans
lated and worked upon, however, will the interrelation of the events
of the period prior to the rise of the warrior class become more
readily available to western scholars.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In a work of this nature, the author is but an instrument« It
could never have been done had not the accumulated resources of the
past, and the experience and echolarship of many people been un-
stintingly made available« In this Bense, grateful acknowledgement is
made to Mr. Ryusaku Teunoda of the Department of Chinese and Japanese,
Columbia University, under whose supervision the present work was
originally conceived and executed, for more than a decade of gentle
guidance and wise counsel, and as a constant source of information
given generously end without hesitation. He personally undertook a
cloBe inspection of Part II of this work, and had it not been for his
advice, this work would have taken much longer.
To Professor Ghi-chen Wang for his patience and guidance while
the author was struggling with advanced Chinese, and for a character
by character check of the translation of difficult passages in the
original text®
To Sir George B. Sansom is owed a debt as great, for hia per
sonal attention to this work, hie counsel and guidance, and for his
numerous works of basic importance which have been freely used.
To Professor Hugh Borton for his invaluable suggestions ranging
over the entire work, and for his encouragement ever since the author
began his graduate studies at Columbia University.
To Mr. Shojiro Ota of the Historiographical Bureau of Tokyo
(formerly Imperial) University, for answering, precisely and in detail,
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a number of questions to which solutions could not be gained with
resources outside of Japan, and to Mr. Herbert E, Norman for having
made Mr„ Ota’s authoratative suggestions available to the author.
To Professor L. Oarrington Goodrich, Executive Officer,
Department of Chinese and Japanese, Columbia University, for starting
the author on hia first steps in Chinese studies, and to his entire
family for their genial friendship.
To Professor Jan Duyvendak of the University of Leyden for
unfolding some of the mysteries of Chinese thought.
To Mr. Tungtsu Chu of the Chinese History Project, Columbia
University, for checking the translation which constitutes Part II
of this work.
Without having had the pleasure of their personal acquaintance,
I am indebted to all those Japanese scholars whose works I have so
freely used, particularly to the late Professor Kuroita Katsumi of
Tokyo (formerly Imperial) University, for making available, through his
editorship of the Shintei Zoho Kokuahi Taikei series, the most complete
version of the original text available today. Also to Professor Saeki
Ariyoshi, whose commentary I have used, while according him scant
credit. To Professor Tsuji Zennosuke of Tokyo (formerly Imperial)
University, for the published results of hie numerous researches,
particularly those in the history of Buddhism. Without the work done
by these and many other scholars, this work would not have been
possible.
Likewise to Professor Ralph Linton, now at Yale University, for
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EXPLANATORY NOTES
This translation is based upon the version contained in
volume J of the Shintei Zoho Kokushi Taikei, edited by the late Pro-
1
fessor Buroita Katsumi. This is the most complete version available
to date, embodying emendations and comparisons with all known
versions of the Montoku Jitsuroku.
Saeki Ariyoahi• s marginal notes in the version contained in
volume 7 of the Rikkoku-shi, published under hie editorship, have
2
been consulted* The version contained in this work differs slightly
from the ...Kokushi Taikei version, the latter being the more recent.
When differences occurred between the two, the ...Kokushi Taikei
version was followed, unless noted otherwise.
The problem of standard translations of nomenclature remains
a vexing one in both Chinese and Japanese studies. Translations of
names of government offices, titles of officials, and the Buddhist
5
Hierarchy follow those given in Reischauerss Early Japanese History.o».
These have been supplemented by the translations of terms given in
iKuroita, Katsumi coop. Shintei Zoho Kokushi Taikei. Tokyo,
Kokushi Taikei Kanko-kai, 1925“ « In process of publication, of which
v»2-55 have been published to date. Hereafter cited as ...KT.
2Saeki, Ariyoshi comp. Zoho Rikkoku-ahi. 11v. Osaka, Asahi
Shimbun-aha, 1928-51* Hereafter cited as Saeki.
jReischauer, Robert Karl. Early Japanese History (c.40 B.C. -
A.D. 1167) 2v» Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1957* Hereafter
cited as Reischauer.
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Sir Gteorge Sanaon's "Early Japanese Law and Administration" in
1
Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan. Not all terms appearing
in the Montoku Jitsuroku were found in these two works, however, and when
a new translation of an equivalent has been supplied, a note has been
made to that effect. Some translated terms found in Reischauer's work
have been slightly modified, and such changes have also been noted. In
modification of Buddhist Hierarchical nomenclature, the valuable notes
found in Coates and Ishizuka's Honan, the Buddhist Saint have been
2
consulted.
In his Early Japanese History. . . Reischauer gives only the
modern equivalents of weights and measures, because, although nomen-
5
clature has remained the same, standards have shifted. In the present
work, te^ms expressing weights and measures have been left in Romanization
(i.e., koku, shaku, jo). Readers interested in such standards are
4
referred to Fujita Mbtoharu's Shakudo Soko.
Entries in the Montoku Jitsuroku are dated in the Stem and
Branch cyclical system. Beside each designation the editors of the
Kuroita and Saeki versions have added the day of the month in numerals.
These numerals have been followed, except when obviously incorrect, due
^Sansom, Sir George Bailey. "Early Japanese Law and Adminis
tration" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Second Series,
9 (1952), 67-109; 11 (1954), 117-149.
^Coates, Harper Havelock & Ishizuka, Ryugaku. Honan, the
Buddhist Saint. His life and teachings. 2nd edition. Kyoto, Chionin,
1925.
^Reischauer, B, 245.
^Fujita, Mbtoharu. Shakudo Soko. Tokyo, Toko Shoin, 1929.
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to typographical error. The Stem and Branch designations themselves
have been omitted in the translation, except when they appear as a part
of the entry. Dates are given in the order speoified in the typesheet
of the Far Eastern Quarterly.
Japanese dates have been converted into the Julian calendar
1
year based upon the Sanaei SSran. Because the Sino-Japanese calendar is
a lunar one, dates in the same year in the Japanese calendar are some
times in different European years, thus: 861 (Jogan 5:10,12), but
862 (Jogan 5*12,15), When the exact date cannot be ascertained from the
sources used, conversion has been made thus: 861/62 (Jogan 5)»
There is a lack of standardization in the reading of the "era”
nameB (nengS), In the present work, readings given in Nengo Yomiyo by
Sugawara A ri'ie, contained in Moriomoto Kakuzo1s Nihon Nengo Taikan have
2
been followed.
Although paragraphs are indicated in the Montoku Jitsuroku,
each entry, regardless of its length, forms one paragraph® To facilitate
reading, long entries have been divided into two or more paragraphs in
the present translation.
Material given in parentheses in Part II is an integral part of
the text. Brackets indicate matter supplied by the translator. The
frequent use of brackets, however, has been avoided,
Hamas of persons have been given in the Japanese order, i.e.,
family name followed by hereditary title and personal name. Readings
iNaimu-sho Ghiri-kyoku comp. Sanaei SSran. Tokyo, Teito
Shuppan-sha, 1952.
2Morimoto, Kakuzo, Nihon Nengo Taikan. Tokyo, Meguro Shoten,
1955, 845-849.
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1
are those given in the Dai«Nihon Yuben-kai edition of the Dai-Nihon-shit
Other biographical sources have been used to obtain readings not included
2
in this work, such as the Shinsen Dai-iimmei Jiten, compiled by Heibon-sha.
Names whose readings are not given in such sources and are still in doubt
have been indicated by a question mark in brackets* Rendition of such
names is to be regarded as tentative. It should be mentioned that the
biographical sources which supply readings of names do not always agree.
Birth and death dates of Buddhist priests are often doubtful. Those which
have been given here follow those given in Mochizuki Shiakyo's BukkyS
5
Dai-.1iten«
Readings of the names of Shinto deities are those given in Saeki's
Rikkoku-ahi edition, whenever a reading was indicated. Readings not in
dicated by Saeki are those given in the “List of Deities" (Shimmyo-cho)
h
in the Engi-shiki.
The character nado ("and others") after lists of names has not
been translated, unless the context has clearly indicated the necessity
of retaining it.
k modified Kenkyusha method of Romanisation has been used for
rendering Japanese sounds. The modification consists of the us© of the
apostrophe to indicate ends of syllables in certain compounds, such as
^•Tokugawa, Mitsukuni and others, ad. Dai-Nihon-shi. I6v. Tokyo,
Dai-Nihon Yuben-kai, 1928-29*
^Heibon-sha comp. Shinsen Dai-iimmei Jiten. 9v® Tokyo,
Heibon-sha, 1957-^1*
^Mochizuki, Shinkyo comp® Bukkyo Dai-3iten. 5v. Tokyo, Bukkyo
Dai-jiten HakkS-jo, 1931-J6.
^Engi-shiki in ...KT, XXVI. Hereafter cited as ES.
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Fun'ya-* Kai'in-ji, and Shi'o-in. Chinese names have been Romanized
according to the Giles system, Korean names have been Romanized ac
cording to the MoCune and Reischauer system.
For the sake of simplification, some characters supplied have
been given in abbreviated form.
Although recent locations of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines,
and other monuments can be checked through modern reference works,
their present fate cannot be verified at this time and distance. There
fore, the vagueness in the notes concerning their present condition is
deliberate.
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