The , alternatively misread as ''Ruijū myōgishō'', is a

Japanese dictionary have a history that began over 1300 years ago when Japanese Buddhist priests, who wanted to understand Chinese sutras, adapted Chinese character dictionaries. Present-day Japanese lexicographers are exploring computerized editing and electronic di ...

from the late

Heian Period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

. The title, sometimes abbreviated as ''Myōgishō'', combines the ''ruiju'' ("classified dictionary") from the '' Wamyō Ruijushō'' and the ''myōgi'' ("pronunciation and meaning/definition") from the '' Tenrei Banshō Myōgi''. Additional Buddhist titles, like ''Sanbō ruiju myōgishō'' (三宝類聚名義抄), use the word ''sanbō'' (三宝 "

Three Jewels In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice, which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Since the period of Early Buddhism until present time, all Theravada ...

") because the text was divided into ''butsu'' (仏 "Buddha"), ''hō'' (法 "Dharma"), and '' sō'' (僧 "Sangha") sections. The origins of the ''Ruiju myōgishō'' are uncertain. Bailey concludes it was "compiled early in the twelfth century, presumably by a priest". Kaneko believes the received edition dates from the late 12th century, but the original version was compiled around 1081-1100 CE. There are various received texts of the ''Ruiju myōgishō'' and several indexes. Like other early Japanese dictionaries, the ''Ruiju myōgishō'' borrowed heavily from

Chinese dictionaries Chinese dictionaries date back over two millennia to the Han dynasty, which is a significantly longer lexicographical history than any other language. There are hundreds of dictionaries for the Chinese language, and this article discusses some of ...

, in particular the (ca. 543 CE) ''

Yupian The ''Yupian'' (; "Jade Chapters") is a c. 543 Chinese dictionary edited by Gu Yewang (:zh:顧野王, 顧野王; Ku Yeh-wang; 519–581) during the Liang dynasty. It arranges 12,158 character entries under 542 radical (Chinese character), radical ...

'' and the (601 CE) ''

Qieyun The ''Qieyun'' () is a Chinese language, Chinese rhyme dictionary, published in 601 during the Sui dynasty. The book was a guide to proper reading of classical texts, using the ''fanqie'' method to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters ...

''. For collation of character entries, the Chinese ''Yupian'' has a system of 542 logographic

radicals Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

. The ''Ruiju myōgishō'' cuts them down into 120 radicals (''bu'' 部), even simpler than the (ca. 900 CE) Japanese ''

Shinsen Jikyō The is the first Japanese dictionary containing native ''kun'yomi'' "Japanese readings" of Chinese characters. The title is also written 新選字鏡 with the graphic variant ''sen'' ( 選 "choose; select; elect") for ''sen'' ( 撰 "compile; comp ...

'' system of 160. The ''Ruiju myōgishō'' lists over 32,000 characters and compounds. The entries give both ''

on'yomi are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequent ...

'' Sino-Japanese borrowings and '' kun'yomi'' native Japanese readings for ''

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

'', using Chinese ''

fanqie ''Fanqie'' ( zh, t= 反切, p=fǎnqiè) is a method in traditional Chinese lexicography to indicate the pronunciation of a monosyllabic character by using two other characters, one with the same initial consonant as the desired syllable and one w ...

'' spellings (from the ''Qieyun''), ''

Man'yōgana is an ancient writing system that uses Chinese characters to represent the Japanese language. It was the first known kana system to be developed as a means to represent the Japanese language phonetically. The date of the earliest usage of this ...

'', and ''

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

''. Meanings are often illustrated by quotations from over 130 Chinese classic texts and classical

Japanese literature Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japanes ...

. These quotes have two types of ''

Kanbun A is a form of Classical Chinese used in Japan from the Nara period to the mid-20th century. Much of Japanese literature was written in this style and it was the general writing style for official and intellectual works throughout the period. A ...

'' ("Chinese writing") annotations, ''shōten'' (声点 "tone marks") for Chinese tones and Japanese accents, and occasional ''kunten'' (訓点 "reading marks") for Japanese pronunciations. "Many passages contain no Japanese readings at all", says Bailey, "but there are a total of approximately 10,000 Japanese readings given in the whole work". While special care is needed for its commentary nature, the ''Ruiju myōgishō'' remains a standard Japanese source of information regarding Heian era pronunciation.

Editions

There are various extant editions that still exist today. The main editions include: *The edition. It is part of the collection in the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and also the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD, up until the Second World War, it ...

. Compiled between 1081 and 1100. It retains signs of the original; however, it is incomplete and only contains the first half of the section. It provides detailed literary citations for entries. *The edition. It is part of the Tenri Central Library and is a

national treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

. It is a mid-

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...

. While it is an expanded and revised edition of the original, it is the only complete edition surviving today. *The Kōzan-ji edition. Part of the Tenri Central Library collection. It is entitled , and is a revised edition. It only contains the section and part of the 巻上 section found in the Kanji-in edition. *The edition. It is part of the

Tō-ji , also known as is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As such it has a long history, ho ...

Hōbodai-in collection. Revised and incomplete. In addition to the above, the and revised editions exist, but both are incomplete.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiju Myogisho 12th-century Japanese books Japanese dictionaries Late Old Japanese texts Heian-period books