Tenrei Banshomeigi

A Chinese character dictionary from the Heian period. Six volumes. Written by Kukai. Approximately 16,000 Chinese characters are divided into 542 radicals, and the headings of each character are written in two styles, seal and clerical (kaisho), with the pronunciation and explanations written in classical Chinese. It is an abridgement of the 30 volumes of the Gyokuhen (a dictionary written by Gu Ye Wang of the Liang Dynasty in China), which was widely used at the time to parse Chinese texts. It omits the examples and research in the Gyokuhen and simplifies the explanations. It is the oldest surviving dictionary in Japan, and there is a copy (national treasure) from 1114 (Eikyu 2) at Kosanji Temple in Kyoto, but Kukai wrote only the first four volumes, and it is said that the fifth and sixth volumes were written by later people.

[Toshiaki Miyazawa]

"Kosanji Temple Classics and Documents Comprehensive Research Group, ed., Kosanji Temple Ancient Dictionary Materials No. 1" (Kosanji Temple Materials Series 6, 1977, University of Tokyo Press)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安時代の漢字字書。6帖(じょう)。空海撰(せん)。約1万6000の漢字を542の部首に分け、各字の見出しを篆・隷（楷書(かいしょ)）の二体で示し、字音と釈義を漢文で示したもの。当時漢籍の訓詁(くんこ)に広く利用された『玉篇(ぎょくへん)』30巻（中国梁(りょう)代の顧野王(こやおう)撰の字書）を抄録したもので、『玉篇』にある用例・考証を省き、釈義を簡略にしてある。わが国現存最古の辞書で、京都の高山寺に1114年（永久2）の写本（国宝）があるが、空海撰は4帖までで、5、6帖は後人の撰といわれる。

［宮澤俊雅］

『高山寺典籍文書綜合調査団編『高山寺古辞書資料第一』（『高山寺資料叢書6』1977・東京大学出版会）』

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