Shanhaijing - Sengaikyo

An ancient Chinese geography book. 18 volumes. It consists of five parts: "Five Treasure Mountain Classic," "Four Overseas Classics," "Four Inland Sea Classics," "Four Great Wilderness Classics," and "Inland Sea Classics," and is thought to have been created before the 2nd century. According to the description by Liu Xiu (Xin) of the late Western Han Dynasty, who compiled this book as far as we know it, the book was born from the flood control projects of Yu and Yi, but the author is unknown. The text that is currently handed down is the 18-volume version annotated by Guo Pu (276-324) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Centering on Luoyang, it describes the geography, mountain ranges, rivers, and other features that divide the country into the north, south, east, and west, but also contains records of local products, customs, and even monsters, ghosts, and gods, with stories about Mount Kunlun and the Queen Mother of the West being particularly famous. Illustrated texts were apparently popular in the past, but these are no longer available. This book, which can be said to be the source of the rich imagination of the Chinese, is also an essential resource for the study of myths and legends. It was introduced to Japan during the reign of Emperor Uda (reigned 887-897), and a Japanese-printed version was published in the early Edo period.

[Akira Takeda]

"Naoaki Maeno's translation of "Shan Hai Jing: The Biography of Immortals" ("Complete Commentary on the Chinese Classics 33" 1975, Shueisha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国古代の地理書。18巻。「五蔵山経」「海外四経」「海内四経」「大荒四経」「海内経」の五部からなり、おそらく2世紀以前には成立していたものと思われる。伝えられる限りでもっとも古くこの書を整理した前漢末の劉秀(りゅうしゅう)（歆(きん)）の叙録によれば、この書は、禹(う)と益(えき)の治水事業から生まれたとされるが、作者は不明。いま伝えられるテキストは、東晋(しん)の郭璞(かくはく)（276―324）の注する18巻本である。洛陽(らくよう)を中心とし、東西南北に分かれる地理、山脈、河川などのありさまを記すが、物産、風俗、さらには怪獣、妖怪(ようかい)、神などについての記録があり、とくに崑崙(こんろん)山や西王母(せいおうぼ)の話などが有名である。古くは絵入りのテキストが流行したらしいが、いまは伝わらない。中国人の豊かな想像力の源泉ともいうべきこの書は、神話、伝説の研究にも不可欠の資料である。日本には宇多(うだ)天皇（在位887～897）のときに伝来し、江戸初期には和刻本も出た。

［竹田　晃］

『前野直彬訳『山海経・列仙伝』（『全釈漢文大系33』1975・集英社）』

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