Old story collection - Kohonsetsuwashū

A collection of tales from the end of the Heian period. The editor is unknown. The only surviving copy is a copy held by the Umezawa Memorial Museum in Tokyo, which has neither a title label nor an internal title, and the original title is unknown. The tentative title has been established, but it is also known as the Umezawa edition of old tales. Based on the traditional relationships of the tales included, the most likely theory is that it was compiled between 1126 (Taiji 1) and 1201 (Kennin 1). The first 46 stories are waka tales, mainly anecdotes about female poets of the court, and the last 24 stories are Buddhist tales, including many tales of the miraculous powers of the Kannon Bodhisattva. Overall, the theme is a recollection of the elegant world of the court's heyday and the miraculous powers and salvation of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. It contains many tales in common with the "Konjaku Monogatarishu" and "Uji Shui Monogatari," and offers important clues for considering the story traditions of the Insei period.

[Takayuki Kojima]

"Complete Collection of Japanese Classics: Old Stories" edited by Hisao Kawaguchi (1967, Asahi Shimbun)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安末期の説話集。編者未詳。現存伝本は東京・梅沢記念館所蔵写本が唯一のもので、題簽(だいせん)、内題ともになく、本来の書名は不明。仮題が定着しているが、『梅沢本古本説話集』などともよばれる。所収説話の伝承関係から推定して1126年（大治1）から1201年（建仁1）の間の成立とする説が有力。前半の46話は王朝の女流歌人たちの逸話を中心とする和歌説話、後半の24話は観音霊験譚(かんのんれいげんたん)を多く含む仏教説話からなり、全体として王朝盛時の風雅の世界への回顧と仏菩薩(ぼさつ)の霊験・救済とを基調としている。『今昔物語集』や『宇治拾遺(うじしゅうい)物語』と共通の説話を多数含み、院政期の説話伝承を考える重要な手掛りを提供している。

［小島孝之］

『川口久雄校注『日本古典全書　古本説話集』（1967・朝日新聞社）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例