REKIHAKU

No.148 A Witness to History

A small piece of bamboo -- Kyosan in the Museum's collection --

How many people in Japan, or even the world, would immediately know what the object is in this photo (Photo 1) It is a small implement made of bamboo measuring just 6.06 cm long and 1.5 mm deep. It is a piece of Heian period stationery called "kyosan." The word can be written using various Chinese characters.

Naoshimono in appointment ceremonies

This kyosan was used to show where corrections were made in a ritual called "naoshimono" that took place in appointment ceremonies (jimoku) held in the Heian period. Central government officials and provincial officials were appointed in these ceremonies. The largest and most important of these was the Agatameshi appointment ceremony for provincial officials that was held in spring. In the "naoshimono" that was one part of the appointment ceremony, corrections were made to the names and positions of officials that had been written incorrectly in the list of appointments. The word "naoshimono" was also used to refer to these corrected names.

When these corrections were made, kyosan were inserted to indicate the places where corrections had been made. The way to use a kyosan is described in a section on naoshimono in appointment ceremonies in volume four of "Goke Shidai"; a well-known writing on Yusoku Kojitsu (Ancient Court and Military Practices) authored by Oe no Masafusa (1040 - 1111). In "Choshuki," the diary of Minamoto no Morotoki (1077 - 1136), there is mention of the use of kyosan in such a ceremony in the entry for February 17, 1129

It was also common for kyosan to be inserted in a scroll or booklet to mark the place the reader had read up to. There is also mention of a kyosan in "Makura no Soshi" (The Pillow Book) by Sei Shonagon, whose dates of birth and death are unknown. Sei Shonagon served as an attendant to Empress Teishi from 990 to 995. In Chapter 20 when a game using the Kokin Wakashu (Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse) is being played in which two verses are put together, when the participants take a break a kyosan is inserted to mark their place.

In a passage which sets the scene with the description, "The Kokin Wakashu is set out in front of her," it goes on to read, "Having read all the poems, she inserted a kyosan." It continues, "She had read ten volumes. Since there was no need to read any more, she stopped reading and, after inserting a kyosan, retired to her chamber and went to sleep."

From kyosan to shiori

Later on, kyosan served as "shiori," or bookmarks. The history of changes to the format of books from the ancient period through to the medieval period lies behind this transition from kyosan to bookmark. This is the change from the scroll format to the booklet format. The oldest extant booklet format book is the "Shogyo Sanjujo," a National Treasure held at Ninna-ji temple, which is actually bound with glue in the "detcho" style. After that most booklet format books were bound in the "kocho" style, and from the Muromachi period onwards most booklet format books were bound using the "fukuro toji" method of binding. These changes from scroll format books to booklet format books caused the kyosan to fall into disuse and bookmarks to become more widely used. Even by the Early Modern period most people would not have known what a kyosan was./p>

Photo 1: Kyosan (Museum collection)

Ise Sadatake's "Ansai Zuihitsu"

Ise Sadatake (1717 - 1784) was a scholar with a remarkable memory who lived in the middle of the Edo period and is famous for his writings on Yusoku Kojitsu. Even though he was very interested in kyosan he had never seen a real one. In volume seven of "Ansai Zuihitsu" it is written, "It was said that it was a copy of a kyosan inserted in an old book on Mt. Koya, but it was a kyosan that Murai Takayoshi had reproduced from that copy and had given to me.". In other words, it was an imitation. Although there was also a drawing of a kyosan, it was completely different from the real thing. An explanation of the kyosan makes reference to the "Sankaiki," a journal by Nakayama Tadachika (1131 - 1195).

In volume two of "Kanden Jihitsu" by Ban Kokei (1733 - 1806), it reads, "One of the seven rare gifts presented to me by Nishimura Masakuni on the occasion of my 70th birthday was two kyosan. One measured 3 sun (9.09 cm) and the other 3.6 sun. The one measuring 3 sun was the same size as the one in 'Goke Shidai,' the book on Yusoku Kojitsu written by Oe no Masafusa in the Heian period. The longer one had been in an old book on Mt. Koya, and is said to have been reproduced earlier by a man called Fuji Shukuzou." These too were imitations. What we learn from such descriptions is that kyosan were highly valued objects. Edo period scholars and intellectuals were keen to set eyes on such an ancient piece of stationary as a kyosan, but their wishes remained unfulfilled.

There was a time in the Edo period when a large collection of these kyosan actually existed. In Miura Ranpan's "Ikaruga Journal" there is a passage describing his visit with a friend to Horyu-ji temple in September 1836 to take a look at the temple's treasures. It reads, "We took lots of kyosan made from small slithers of bamboo from the chest and passed them around, and we were invited to divide them up among ourselves. They had been made at the temple long ago, and I am sure that neither collectors of rare objects nor aesthetes would know what they were." In other words, it relates how at Horyu-ji there were many authentic kyosan in a chest that contained sutras and documents. However, these kyosan were found only at Horyu-ji temple, and neither the general public nor people like the above-mentioned Ise Sadatake had ever seen a real one. In the ensuing modern period up through to the present day even the existence of such things was unknown. Thus, they became lost to history as artifacts that had simply disappeared into the ether.

Photo 2: The kyosan wrapping made by Minahiko Ogino	Photo 3: Minahiko Ogino

Kyosan discovered at Horyu-ji temple

Now back to the story of the kyosan held at the Museum. It was donated to the Museum by Shigeko Ogino, the widow of the late Minahiko Ogino (1904 - 1992), professor emeritus of medieval classics and paleographer at Waseda University. The following describes the circumstances of how this kyosan came into Professor Ogino's possession.

It was in the summer of 1932, when a 28 year-old Ogino was working in the historiography office of Tokyo's Imperial University. At that time, Ogino went to Horyu-ji every July and August, where in the blistering summer heat and at a desk covered in dust and bugs he sorted out the Issaikyo sutras. He discovered this kyosan inside a work entitled "Zuimonkiryakusho" that had slipped in among a huge pile of the 600 volumes of the Daiji Issaikyo. It was at that moment that this phantom kyosan appeared in front of Ogino's eyes. He immediately reported his find to Saeki Jouin, the head priest at the temple. Saeki Jouin said that the kyosan had high research value and directed the young Ogino to take care of it and use it in his research.

Zuimonkiryakusho

The "Zuimonkiryakusho," in which the kyosan was found, is a classical work inscribed with the date 1092. Even today, it probably remains hidden somewhere in Horyu-ji temple's Ikaruga library. According to Professor Ogino its details are as follows.

Front cover: "Zuimonkiryakusho -- Zokaku"
Title on the first page of text: "Zuimonkiryakusho Ten Volumes, Zenna Kongo, Sen"
Rear inscription: Writing completed on the first day of the fifth month in the 6th year of the reign of Emperor Kanji (1092), for journeying to the Pure Land Paradise and being reincarnated. -- Zokaku"
Rear cover: As imparted by Kakuin
Dimensions: 19 cm tall, 16 cm wide
Format: Old form of glued "detcho" style

Zokaku, who copied this written work, was a priest who performed rites for the dead at the Shoryoin Hall at Horyu-ji. The Shoryoin Hall was built when the priest Keijin held an important office at Horyu-ji when the southern end of the Higashimuro (East Quarters) was renovated. Inside is a wooden statue of Shotoku Taishi and five other figures. A dedication service opening the hall was held on November 21, 1121. Several years later a painting of Shotoku Taishi was placed in the hall, and Zokaku was one of the priests who took part in the dedication service for the painting. The "Gobuppon Kokon Mokurokusho" also makes reference to Zokaku when he entered the temple. Convention dictated that one priest was selected to undergo ascetic training from the several who entered the temple. The name Kakuin on the back cover is the name of Zokaku's disciple. Kakuin's name is also found in copies of the "Hokke Mongu" (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra), a "detcho" type book, dated 1142 and 1157.

Donation to the Museum

Manahiko Ogino (Photo 3), who had been given the kyosan by Saeki Jouin, and carefully stored it in his study. Following Ogino's passing, it was gifted to the Museum in March 1999 in accordance with his wishes. The kyosan is not only valued as an ancient artifact, but the circumstances of its provenance also give it extremely high value as an object of historical and folkloric significance. It is hoped that researchers from Japan and overseas will be able to make use of this kyosan as part of research on Japan's history and culture, including analysis of the material's constituents.

Reference: Manahiko Ogino, "Study of Japanese Documents from the Middle Ages," 1964

Folding screens depicting Wakaura and Itsukushima

The photo shown here (Photo 4) is of Itsukushima, one of a pair of six-panel folding screens showing Itsukushima and Wakaura. The screen was displayed in a special exhibition entitled "Japanese Shrines – What is a Shrine?" (Deities and Festivals in Japan)held from March to May 2006. One point of interest in this illustration depicting Itsukushima is the existence of foreigners (Photo 5). Since Portuguese ships were banned from visiting Japan in 1639, one could simply conclude that the screen was painted before this time. However, the screen contains one other point of interest. It is the depiction of a Noh stage (Photo 6), the dates and history of construction of which are known.

Photo 4: Folding screen depicting Wakaura and Itsukushima

Professor Masayuki Miura of the Graduate School of Letters at Hiroshima University, who was a member of the project for the special exhibition on shrines held in 2006 and a Museum visiting researcher from fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2006, says the following about the history of the Noh stage at Itsukushima Shrine.

The head of the Kanze school of Noh arrived at Itsukushima Shrine in 1568. A temporary Noh stage was built in the sea. Trees on the island were felled and a Noh stage was built in 1605. The stage that exists today was built in 1680. Possessing a gakuya, or dressing room, the structure of Noh stage shown in the screen is authentic and is not the temporary stage built in 1568. Therefore, the stage in the screen is either the stage built in 1605 or the existing stage that was rebuilt in 1680. The stage built in 1605 is known to have remained standing until around 1650, and was later rebuilt in 1680. Since the stage built in 1605 would not yet have reached the end of its useful life based on the standard of Noh stage structures, we may conclude that it was rebuilt in 1680 because of its informal style. Illustrations from the mid-17th century show that the Noh stage built in 1605 had round columns (the proper style was square columns), had a veranda around the edge (normally not included), and there was no seating on the side for musicians. In fact, it was utterly rustic in style.

Photo 5: Section showing foreigners	Photo 6: Noh stage	Photo 7: Women dressed in kosode kimono

According to Professor Miura there are two possibilities. One is that, assuming this is a depiction of a Noh stage dating back to the late 16th century to the early 17th century, the screen was painted sometime between 1605 and 1639. The second possibility is that, if we believe the stage was the one built in 1680, the screen was painted after that year and earlier customs and details, including foreigners, were reproduced in the picture. The second possibility is more likely from the perspective of the history of architecture, and is Professor Miura's opinion.

According Yoshikazu Kondo, a special professor at Kanagawa University, and also an expert on Yusoku Kojitsu who was a member of the same special exhibition project team in 2006 and a Museum visiting Assistant Professor in fiscal year 2005 and visiting Professor in fiscal year 2006, the dress of both the men and women in the screen is the same as the contemporary Japanese style of layered kosode. He also notes that some of the women wear kosode with long sleeves, that is, in the style of furisode kimono (Photo 7). It is thought that long sleeves first appeared on kosode worn by women sometime between 1688 and 1705. Therefore, this picture showing women wearing long-sleeved kimono would have to have been painted no earlier than 1688, which reinforces Professor Miura's opinion based on the history of architecture.

Illustration of Izumo Shrine and environs

Although this picture of Izumo Shrine and its environs was painted on a single hanging scroll, for some reason or other the scroll has been cut into three. The scroll has been made in the mounted style (Photo 8). According to Kozo Oka, a researcher at the Center for Studies of the Ancient Culture who helped with the 2006 special exhibition project, the scroll was most likely cut into three to make it easier to carry and would have been used by priests who traveled around the country to spread religious beliefs associated with Izumo Shrine. As such, it is a highly unusual hanging scroll. The name "Nishikaji" is written on the back of the box, and we may assume that Nishikaji was an Izumo priest who took this scroll with him when he went to spread the shrine's religious teachings.

Photo 8: Illustration of Izumo Shrine and environs	Photo 9: Haiden (hall of worship)

According to Professor Masayuki Miura, mentioned above in connection with the Itsukushima folding screen, this picture contains valuable historical information. Here we shall take a look at two of these pieces of information. The haiden (hall of worship) is shown just below the center in the middle of the picture. Carvings of two dragons can be seen in the gable pediment of the hip-and-gable roof of the haiden (Photos 9 and 10). These dragon carvings on the gable pediments on the honden (main shrine) that had been rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori around the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century were moved once again to the haiden when the honden was rebuilt later in the 17th century.

Photo 10: Carvings of two dragons	Photo 11: Front of the honden (main shrine)

Judging from this picture there were probably two dragons on the gable pediment at the other end of the building. According to shrine records the honden that stood around the end of the 16th century had two dragons on each of the gable pediments. It would appear that the characters used to write the word "ryozuma" meaning gable pediment in the Shrine records was written incorrectly, as the character for "south," a somewhat similar character, was written instead of the character "ryo." The correct character has been written in a copy of the records. This is a case where a painting has helped to correct a writing error, thus rectifying a historical fact.

The second piece of valuable historical information is that in this picture the "shitomi" (timber doors) on the left side at the front of the honden have been raised so that the area is open (Photo 11). They are normally closed and opening the doors is unheard of. However, we may conclude that at this time when the honden was built there was a period when these huge timber doors were opened. This is an example of a picture bringing to light a historical fact that has not been recorded in writing.

This year, the interior of the honden as seen in this painting will be open to the public to commemorate the transfer of the shrine's patron deity, Okuninushi, to a temporary shrine while the honden undergoes repairs. We recommend that you visit Izumo Shrine and take advantage of this rare opportunity.

Takanori Shintani(Japanese Folklore, Research Department)