Manuscripts Written by Kioki

Keichū Chojutsu Kōhon-rui: The Manuscript Legacy of a Pioneer of Japanese Classical Studies

Keichū Chojutsu Kōhon-rui (契沖著述稿本類) is a remarkable collection of handwritten manuscript drafts by the Buddhist monk and scholar Keichū (1640–1701), designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. These manuscripts represent the original working documents of one of the most influential figures in the history of Japanese philology and classical studies. Preserved in Tokyo, the collection offers an unparalleled window into the scholarly process that laid the foundations of kokugaku (National Learning) and revolutionized the understanding of the Japanese language.

Who Was Keichū?

Keichū was born in 1640 in Amagasaki (present-day Hyōgo Prefecture) as the third son of Shimokawa Motokane, a low-ranking samurai who had fallen into the status of rōnin. At the age of eleven, Keichū entered the Buddhist priesthood at Myōhō-ji temple in Ōsaka's Higashinari district, where he began his lifelong devotion to learning. He later studied esoteric Buddhism on Mount Kōya, attaining the rank of ajari (master of esoteric rites).

While his formal training was in Shingon Buddhism, Keichū's intellectual passions extended far beyond religious texts. Through his friendship with the poet and scholar Shimokawahe Chōryū, he became deeply immersed in the study of classical Japanese literature and the ancient Japanese language. He served as head priest of Myōhō-ji from 1679 to 1690, and it was during this period that he produced many of his most important scholarly works.

The Significance of the Manuscript Collection

The Keichū Chojutsu Kōhon-rui comprises original draft manuscripts of Keichū's numerous scholarly writings. These include working drafts, notes, and preparatory materials related to his groundbreaking commentaries and treatises. The collection is invaluable because it preserves Keichū's creative and analytical process in his own hand—showing corrections, annotations, and the evolution of his arguments as he wrestled with the meaning of ancient texts.

Among the works represented in the manuscript collection are materials related to Keichū's most celebrated achievements: the Man'yō Daishōki (万葉代匠記), a monumental commentary on the Man'yōshū poetry anthology; the Waji Shōran-shō (和字正濫鈔), which systematically established the principles of historical kana orthography; and other important works such as Kokin Yozai-shō (古今余材抄), Seigo Okudan (勢語臆断), and Hyakunin Isshu Kaikan-shō (百人一首改観抄).

Why It Was Designated as an Important Cultural Property

The collection was designated as an Important Cultural Property because of its extraordinary significance for the history of Japanese scholarship. As the original handwritten drafts of works that fundamentally transformed the study of classical Japanese literature and language, these manuscripts are primary historical documents of the highest order.

Keichū pioneered the evidence-based approach to textual scholarship in Japan. Before Keichū, the interpretation of classical poetry was governed by secret oral traditions passed down among court poets. Keichū rejected this approach, insisting that the meaning of ancient texts should be determined through careful examination of written evidence. This methodology, which is taken for granted in modern scholarship, was revolutionary in the late seventeenth century. The manuscript drafts reveal this methodological revolution in the making.

Furthermore, Keichū's discovery that the kana orthography prescribed by the medieval poet Fujiwara no Teika was inconsistent with the actual usage found in ancient texts such as the Man'yōshū and Nihon Shoki was a watershed moment in the history of the Japanese language. His work on historical kana orthography provided the foundation that later scholars such as Motoori Norinaga would build upon.

Highlights and Points of Interest

For visitors and scholars interested in Japanese intellectual history, the Keichū Chojutsu Kōhon-rui offers several compelling aspects. First, the manuscripts are written in Keichū's distinctive hand, reflecting the calligraphic style of an Edo-period Buddhist monk-scholar. The documents bear evidence of his meticulous working method—marginal annotations, crossed-out passages, and inserted corrections that reveal how his ideas took shape.

Second, the collection bridges two great traditions of Japanese culture: Buddhist learning and classical literary scholarship. Keichū's background in Sanskrit (Siddhaṃ) studies, which he pursued as part of his esoteric Buddhist training, gave him a unique perspective on phonology that informed his revolutionary work on Japanese orthography.

Third, these manuscripts connect to one of the great patron-scholar relationships of the Edo period. The Man'yō Daishōki was commissioned by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the lord of Mito domain, who was himself engaged in the vast historical project of compiling the Dai Nihon-shi. When the original scholar Shimokawahe Chōryū fell ill, Keichū took over the project and produced a work far exceeding anything that had come before.

Surrounding Area and Related Sites

While the manuscript collection itself is preserved in Tokyo, visitors interested in Keichū's life can explore several related sites. Myōhō-ji temple in Ōsaka's Higashinari Ward (Ōimari 4-16-50), where Keichū served as head priest, is designated as a prefectural historic site. The temple grounds contain a memorial monument to Keichū and the grave of his mother. It is a short walk from Imazato Station on the Ōsaka Metro.

Enjū-an, the hermitage that Keichū established in the Kōzu area of Ōsaka's Tennōji Ward, is where he spent his final years in secluded scholarly work. His grave is located there. Additionally, a memorial monument exists at the Oku-no-in cemetery on Mount Kōya in Wakayama Prefecture.

In Tokyo, the Gotoh Museum and Daitōkyū Memorial Library in Setagaya Ward house important collections of classical Japanese manuscripts and calligraphy, and visitors interested in the world of Edo-period scholarship will find much of interest there.