Notes

A collection of writings. Originally, 'ki' meant record or description, and it was a style of writing that emphasized logical description. The origin of this name was the ancient 'Kaogongji' in the 'Lis of Zhou', the 'Xueji' and 'Yeji' in the 'Liji', and later, the 'Shiji' by Sima Qian in the Han dynasty, the 'Shuji' by Yang Xiong, and the 'Peach Blossom Spring' by Tao Yuanming in the Six Dynasties. The 'Wen Xuan' collected poetry and prose from ancient times to the 6th century and classified them into 39 different styles, but the 'ki' as a style had not yet been found. In the middle of the Tang dynasty, in the 8th and 9th centuries, classical writers such as Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan began to actively write, and this style was consciously established.

The main subjects of the records are (1) buildings, such as Han Yu's "Record of the New Construction of Tengwang Pavilion" and Zeng Gong's "Record of Study at Yihuang County," (2) sightseeing in the mountains, such as Liu Zongyuan's "Record of Visits to Huangxi" and Su Shi's "Record of Visits to Huanshan," (3) paintings, calligraphy, and utensils, such as Han Yu's "Record of Painting" and Ouyang Xiu's "Record of Emperor Renzong's Flight to the White Mountains," and it goes without saying that the authors' thoughts and feelings are embedded in the descriptions of such objective matters. (4) Records of human life, such as Wang Jie's "Record of the Ancient Mirror" and Yuan Zhen's "Record of Hui Zhen," are said to have been considered as reports of fact, rather than as fiction. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the term expanded to include (5) novels and plays, such as "Journey to the West," "Records of the Xixiang," and "Records of the Pipa." The collection of plays from the Ming dynasty, "Liushishuongku," all have the character "Ji" in their titles.

[Masaya Sugimori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

文章の一体。本来、記には記録、記述などの意味があり、筋道たてた記述に重点を置く文体で、この名目の源流としては古く『周礼(しゅらい)』の「考工記」、『礼記(らいき)』の「学記」「楽記」などがあり、その後、漢(かん)代の司馬遷(しばせん)の『史記』、楊雄(ようゆう)の『蜀記(しょくき)』、六朝(りくちょう)時代に下って陶淵明(とうえんめい)の『桃花源記(とうかげんき)』などが有名である。『文選(もんぜん)』は古代から6世紀までの詩文を集めて、39種の文体に類別しているが、まだ文体としての「記」はない。唐代の中ごろ、8～9世紀に、韓愈(かんゆ)、柳宗元(りゅうそうげん)らの古文家によって盛んに書かれるようになり、意識的にこの文体が確立された。

　記の題材のおもなものは、(1)建造物　たとえば韓愈の「新たに滕王閣(とうおうかく)を修むる記」、曽鞏(そうきょう)の「宜黄県学の記」など、(2)山水遊覧　たとえば柳宗元の「黄渓に遊ぶ記」、蘇軾(そしょく)の「桓山(かんざん)に遊ぶ記」など、(3)書画・器物　たとえば韓愈の「画記」、欧陽修の「仁宗御飛白の記」など、であるが、こうした客観的な事柄の記述のなかに、作者の思想、感情が寓(ぐう)されているのはいうまでもない。(4)人間記録　たとえば王勔(おうべん)の『古鏡記』、元稹(げんしん)の『会真記(かいしんき)』など、この類の文語小説群も、本来は虚構としてでなく、事実の報道であるかのように意識されていたという。元(げん)代、明(みん)代に下ると、(5)小説・戯曲　たとえば『西遊記(さいゆうき)』『西廂記(せいしょうき)』『琵琶記(びわき)』などの題名へと拡大され、明代の戯曲を集めた『六十種曲』にも全部「記」が付けられている。

［杉森正弥］

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