Yenisei Inscription

Ancient Turkish inscriptions discovered in the upper reaches of the Yenisei River in southern Siberia and in northwestern Mongolia. They are tombstones (a very small number are also carved into rock walls) of local rulers of the Kyrgyz people who lived in this region from the 5th to 9th centuries, and are unique in that many of them are short sentences, with the deceased describing their achievements in life and lamenting their death. This format is thought to have originated from the tradition in which the deceased (the spirit) speaks in the first person through the mouth of a shaman. They are written in Turkic script, but the fact that some of them have different writing styles from those of Orkhon inscriptions is probably mainly due to regional differences. Currently, over 100 fragments have been found, and new ones are being discovered all the time.

[Masao Mamoru]

“Research on Ancient Turkish Ethnic History I” by Masao Mori (1967, Yamakawa Publishing)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

南シベリアのエニセイ川上流および西北モンゴルで発見された古代トルコ語碑文。5～9世紀にこの地方に居住したキルギス民族の地方的支配者の墓碑（ごく少数は岩壁にも刻まれている）で、短文が多く、死者自身が自らの生前の功績を述べ、自分の死を悲しむという独特の形式をとっている。この形式は、死者（死霊）がシャーマンの口を通じて一人称で語る伝統に由来するものと思われる。突厥(とっけつ)文字で記されているが、オルホン碑文のそれと字体を異にするものがあるのは、主として地域的差異に基づくのであろう。現在100片以上みつかっているが、新しいものが続々発見されつつある。

［護　雅夫］

『護雅夫著『古代トルコ民族史研究Ⅰ』（1967・山川出版社）』

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