Han Jian (Chinese Classics)

Japanese: 漢簡 - かんかん（英語表記）Hàn jiǎn

Documents and records from the Han Dynasty in China, written on bamboo or wooden tablets. There is a widespread legend that paper was invented by Cai Lun in the early Later Han Dynasty, but papers from the 2nd century BC have also been excavated. However, they were used as wrapping paper, and writing materials were silk or bamboo slips. The standard Han bamboo slips were about 1 shaku (about 23 cm) long and 5 bu wide at the time, with about 30 to 40 characters written on each line. They are given names in detail according to their form and use, such as those that are twice as wide and can be written on two lines called ryokou, those that are 2 shaku long called geki, those that are 3 shaku long called zan, those that are the top cover of documents and on which the addressee is written called ken, those that serve as picture talismans for writing names on objects, those that correspond to the tags on Japanese wooden tablets called ketsu, and those that are used together as talismans for certification and those that are used as identification for travelers called kei.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

竹，または木の札に書かれた中国，漢時代の文書や記録。紙は後漢初に蔡倫が発明したという伝説が普及しているが，紀元前2世紀の紙も出土している。ただそれらは包紙として用いられ，書写材料は帛（はく）または簡牘（かんとく）であった。漢簡の標準は長さが当時の1尺(約23cm)，幅5分程度のもので，約30～40字を1行に書く。幅を2倍に広げ2行書けるものを両行（りようこう），長さ2尺のものを檄（げき），3尺のものを槧（ざん），文書の上蓋で宛名を書くものを検（けん），物品に名称を書いて付ける絵符の働きをするもの，日本の木簡のつけ札に当たるものを楬（けつ），合わせて証明に用いる符，旅行者の身分証明である棨（けい）など形態，用途により名称が細かく分かれている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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