Oritaku Shiba no Ki - Oritaku Shiba no Ki

This is the autobiography of Arai Hakuseki. The title comes from a poem by Emperor Gotoba, "When I remember, I cannot forget the joy of seeing the evening smoke from the brushwood" (Shin Kokin Wakashū). Hakuseki wrote this in 1716 (Kyoho 1), shortly after his retirement from the shogunate, with the intention of letting his descendants know about the accomplishments of his ancestors and himself, as well as the good governance of his lord, the sixth Tokugawa shogun Ienobu and the seventh shogun Ietsugu, and having them correctly conveyed to future generations. The extant handwritten version (Arai family) is thought to have been expanded upon since then. It consists of three volumes, the first volume records the achievements of his grandfather, his parents, and Shiraishi himself (up to the time when Ienobu succeeded the shogun), the second volume records the political achievements of the 6th Shogun Ienobu, whom he devotedly assisted together with chamberlain Manabe Akifusa, and the third volume describes those during the time of the 7th Shogun Ietsugu. Written in a clear, powerful style, and with excellent content, it has been widely read especially since the Meiji period, and has come to be regarded as a representative example of Japanese autobiographical literature alongside Fukuzawa Yukichi's Autobiography of Fukuo. This work was published in the 1870s and became widely read, leading to Shiraishi's respect as a first-class Japanese. It is included in the Complete Works of Arai Hakuseki, Volume 3, Japanese Classical Literature Series 95, and Arai Hakuseki Collection, among others.

[Michio Miyazaki]

"Miyazaki Michio's 'The Definitive Edition of the Oritaku Shiba Commentary' (1964, Shibundo)" ▽ "Kuwabara Takeo's 'Japanese Masterpieces 1: Arai Hakuseki' (1969, Chuokoron-Shinsha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

新井白石(あらいはくせき)の自叙伝。書名は後鳥羽(ごとば)天皇の御製(ぎょせい)「おもひ出(いづ)る折たく柴の夕煙(ゆふけむり)むせぶも嬉(うれ)し忘れがたみに」（『新古今和歌集』）からとっている。白石がその子孫に、祖先および自分自身の事績を知らせるとともに、主君の6代徳川将軍家宣(いえのぶ)、7代家継(いえつぐ)の善政をも認識させ、後世にもそれを正しく伝えさせようとの意図のもとに、幕府引退後まもない時期、1716年（享保1）に執筆したもの。現存自筆本（新井家）はその後も増補したものと思われる。3巻からなり、上巻には祖父、父母、白石自身の事績（家宣の将軍世継時代まで）を記し、中巻には自らが側用人(そばようにん)間部詮房(まなべあきふさ)とともに献身的に補佐した6代家宣の政治的業績を、下巻には幼君7代家継時代のそれを記述している。達意でわかりやすく、かつ力強い文章で書かれているため、その優れた内容と相まって明治以後とくに広く読まれ、『福翁(ふくおう)自伝』（福沢諭吉）と並んでわが国自伝文学の代表とみなされるに至っている。本書が明治10年代に刊本が出て広く読まれるようになった結果、白石は第一級の日本人として尊敬されることになるのである。『新井白石全集　第3巻』『日本古典文学大系95』『新井白石集』などに所収。

［宮崎道生］

『宮崎道生著『定本折たく柴の記釈義』（1964・至文堂）』▽『桑原武夫著『日本の名著1　新井白石』（1969・中央公論社）』

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