Book of Tang Dynasty

An official history of the Tang dynasty in China. There are two versions: the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang. The Old Book of Tang, 200 volumes, was compiled by Liu Huang and others of the Later Jin Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, and was completed in 945. Due to a lack of historical materials immediately after the fall of the Tang, the latter half is incomplete, and the first half is also composed of excerpts from previous historical materials, and the format is inconsistent. However, because of this, many parts of the original text from the Tang dynasty remain almost intact, making it a valuable historical resource. The New Book of Tang, 225 volumes, was compiled by Ouyang Xiu and others of the Northern Song dynasty, and was completed in 1060. It uses many historical materials that became available during the Song dynasty, and many parts fill in the gaps in the Old Book of Tang. It is also characterized by its large number of tables, and the table of the prime minister's lineage is particularly useful, and it was the first book to include a military and election journal. The text is written in the ancient Japanese language that was highly valued at the time, and its concise descriptions are said to have marked an era in the compilation of official history, and it has been highly respected for a long time since then. However, the style of the original historical material was changed, and some parts are too simple and unclear, making its historical value inferior to that of the Old Book of Tang. As such, both books have their merits and demerits. Comparisons between the two books include Shen Bingzhen's New and Old Book of Tang Hexiao of the Qing dynasty and Zhao Shaozu's Mutual Verification of the New and Old Book of Tang.

[Shuichi Kaneko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、唐代に関する正史。『旧(く)唐書』『新唐書』の2種類がある。『旧唐書』200巻は五代後晋(こうしん)の劉昫(りゅうく)らの撰(せん)、945年成立。唐滅亡直後の史料不足により後半部が不備であり、前半部も先行諸史料の摘録からなっていて、体裁に一貫性はない。しかしそのために、唐代の原史料の文がほぼそのまま残されている部分も多く、史料的価値は高い。『新唐書』225巻は北宋(ほくそう)の欧陽修(おうようしゅう)らの撰、1060年成立。宋代になって入手可能となった史料を多く用い、『旧唐書』の欠を補うところも多い。表の多いのも特徴で、とくに宰相世系表は有用であり、兵志、選挙志を設けたのも本書が最初である。文章は当時重んじられた古文を用い、その簡潔な記述は正史編纂(へんさん)に一紀元を画したものといわれ、以後長く尊重された。しかし、原史料の文体まで改められ、簡略にすぎて文意不明瞭(ふめいりょう)なところも生じ、史料的価値は『旧唐書』に劣る。このように、両書ともに一長一短がある。なお、両書を比較したものに清(しん)の沈炳震(しんへいしん)『新旧唐書合鈔(ごうしょう)』、清の趙紹祖(ちょうしょうそ)『新旧唐書互証』などがある。

［金子修一］

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