Phonology

In a broad sense, it refers to the study of phonology (generally called "phonology" in this case), but in a narrow sense, it refers to the entire traditional study that was formed in Japan, studying the sounds of Chinese characters and Sanskrit sounds that were adopted into Japanese. Chinese phonology, which was formed in mainland China, and Indian phonology (also called Siddham), which originated in India, are originally separate disciplines, but in Japan, since Siddham was brought from China by those associated with Shingon and Tendai esoteric Buddhism in the early Heian period, the two have not been studied as clearly distinct, but have developed into a unique, fused discipline. Some call it "rhymeology." Phonology began with the introduction of Chinese characters, and developed and evolved mainly through the activities of monks and Confucian scholars in deciphering Buddhist scriptures and Chinese classics and composing Chinese poetry and prose. At that time, Chinese texts such as the Gyokuhen, Setsuinn, and Gennou Issaikyo Ongi were used as basic texts for studying the sounds of Chinese characters, while the Siddham Jiji was used for studying Sanskrit sounds. Many original Japanese research books were produced through annotations and revisions of these texts. In the process, the understanding of the Japanese language itself deepened, and the understanding of Japanese accents, the creation of the 50-syllable chart, and the invention of the voiced consonant mark were all already achieved in the Heian period. In the Kamakura period, after the Tendai monk Shinhan (1223-97) interpreted the Chinese Yinkyo, phonology took on a strong character of "rhyme mirror studies," reaching its peak in the Edo period. Today's "kana spelling of characters and their pronunciation is the result of Edo-period rhyme mirror studies."

[Katsuaki Numamoto]

Kazuo Mabuchi's "Studies on the History of Japanese Rhyming I, II, III" (1962-65, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

広義には、音韻に関する学問（この場合一般には「音韻論」とよぶ）をいうが、狭義には、日本語に取り入れられた中国漢字音と梵語(ぼんご)（サンスクリット）音を研究対象として、日本で形成された伝統的な学問全体をさす。中国本土で形成された中国音韻学とインドに起源をもつインド音韻学（悉曇(しったん)学ともいう）とは本来別の学問であるが、日本においては、平安初期に真言、天台両密教関係者によって中国から悉曇学が招来されて以来、この両者は明確には区別されて研究されず、融合した独自の学問として発達した。「韻学」と呼称する立場もある。音韻学は中国漢字音の渡来とともに始まり、主として僧侶(そうりょ)や儒学者によって仏典、漢籍の解読と漢詩文作成という営みに伴って発展、進化した。その際、漢字音研究には中国の『玉篇(ぎょくへん)』『切韻(せついん)』『玄応一切経(げんのういっさいきょう)音義』など、梵音研究には『悉曇字記』などが基本的文献として活用され、その注釈や改編などによって日本独自の研究書が多数出現した。その過程で日本語自体に関する認識も深まり、日本語アクセントの把握、五十音図の作成、濁点の発明などがすでに平安時代に行われた。鎌倉時代に至り、天台学僧信範（1223―97）が中国の『韻鏡(いんきょう)』を解釈して以後、音韻学は「韻鏡学」という性格を濃厚にし、江戸時代にはその極に達した。今日の「字音仮名遣い」は江戸時代韻鏡学の成果である。

［沼本克明］

『馬渕和夫著『日本韻学史の研究Ⅰ・Ⅱ・Ⅲ』（1962～65・日本学術振興会）』

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