Document on the back of paper - Shihaimonjo

A term used in paleography. It is also called ura documents. When the back side of a used paper is reused as writing paper, it refers to the document on the side that was turned into a roll (the original front side). By using a roll of paper, both the front and back of the paper were passed down by chance. For example, the Chikuzen family register from 702 (Taiho 2) was turned into a roll of paper in 745 (Tenpyo 17) and used again as a request document for rice and salt, so it was passed down as a fragment, and the Awa family register from 902 (Engi 2) was passed down in its entirety because it was copied onto the back of the roll of paper. The Shosoin documents were also government documents that were once turned into rolls and delivered to the Todaiji Temple copying office. Many of the diaries of court nobles were also made into long scrolls, with documents recording the news of the people of the time and receipts being turned into rolls. There are many cases where the handwritten messages of famous historical figures have been discovered by chance and have astonished the world as major research discoveries.

[Ogino Sanshichihiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古文書学上の用語。裏(うら)文書ともいう。使用ずみの反古(ほご)になった紙の紙背（裏）をふたたび料紙に利用したとき、反古にした側（本来の表側）の文書のことをいう。反古を利用したことによって、結果として偶然にも後世に表・裏に書かれた（または刷った）両者が伝来する。たとえば、702年（大宝2）の筑前(ちくぜん)戸籍は、745年（天平17）に反古として翻して再度米塩請求文書として利用されたことにより断簡として伝来し、902年（延喜2）の阿波(あわ)戸籍は、反古の紙背に写経したためその大半が伝わった。正倉院文書も、いったん反古になった官庁文書が東大寺写経所に交付されたものである。公卿(くぎょう)の日記も、時人の消息を記した文書や請取証文などを反古にして長巻にしたものが多い。史上著名人士の自筆消息などを偶然にみつけて研究上一大発見として世間を驚かせた例は多い。

［荻野三七彦］

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