Nihon Ryoiki - Japanese Mysteries

A collection of Buddhist tales from the early Heian period. The correct title is Nihonkoku Genpo Zenaku Ryōiki. It can also be read as Nihon Reiiki. Three volumes. Written by Kyokai, a monk of Yakushiji Temple. Completed around 822 (Kōnin 13). Divided into three volumes, upper, middle and lower, it contains 116 tales from Emperor Yūryaku to Emperor Saga, and is arranged in chronological order. A preface is attached to the beginning of each volume. As the title suggests, many of the stories included are tales of cause and effect that teach the retribution of good and evil.

The preface to the first volume clearly states the author's intention to educate and enlighten people in the midst of a turbulent world by showing the mercilessness of retribution. The collection was written under the influence of works such as Tang Lin's Meihoki, and many of the stories show similarities to these collections of tales from China in terms of story style and other aspects. However, all of the stories are understood as events that took place in Japan, and the author's attitude of rejoicing at the miracle that the miraculous power of Buddhism could reach our country and taking pride in this country as a land comparable to Tenjiku and Tang. Many of these stories were told at the very bottom of the Buddhist world during the author's time in the late Nara period and early Heian period, and the author's missionary experiences as a private monk cast a strong shadow over the stories. The author's high regard for Gyoki, who was the ideal private monk of the time, as the embodiment of the "secret saint," also reflects the reality of the faith of such private monks. On the other hand, this book also positions the reign of Shomu as the pinnacle of Japanese Buddhist history, and attempts to fill the entire middle volume with tales from that period, revealing a unique historical consciousness. The tales in this book clearly depict the process by which the faith in Shinto gods from the previous era was subsumed and assimilated into the Buddhist world, making it an interesting insight into the state of faith in the early days of folk Buddhism, which differed from that of official temple Buddhism.

As the first surviving collection of Buddhist tales in Japan, it had a great influence on later works such as "Hokkegenki," "Sanbouekotoba," and "Konjaku Monogatarishu." Extant versions include the Shinpuku-ji version, the Kofuku-ji version, the Maeda family version, and the Raigo-in version, and their interpretations are also valuable as a source of information on the history of the Japanese language.

[Tada Kazuomi]

"Japanese Classical Literature Series 70: Nihon Ryōiki (1967, Iwanami Shoten), edited by Endo Yoshiki and Kasuga Kazuo " "Complete Collection of Japanese Classical Literature 6: Nihon Ryōiki (1975, Shogakukan), edited and translated by Nakata Norio" "A Study of Nihon Ryōiki (1974, 1978, Miyai Shoten), written by Moriya Toshihiko"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

平安初期の仏教説話集。正しくは『日本国現報善悪霊異記』。「にほんれいいき」とも読む。三巻。薬師寺の僧景戒(きょうかい)著。822年（弘仁13）ごろ成立。雄略(ゆうりゃく)天皇から嵯峨(さが)天皇までの説話116条を上・中・下三巻に分かち、年代順に配列する。各巻冒頭には序文を付す。所収話の多くは、書名に記されたごとく、善悪の応報を説く因果譚(いんがたん)である。

　上巻序文には、混迷する世相のなかで、応報の仮借なきありようを示すことで、人心の善導教化を図ろうとする著者の意図が明瞭(めいりょう)に述べられている。唐の唐臨『冥報記(めいほうき)』などの影響を受けて撰述(せんじゅつ)され、話型そのほかにこうした中国渡来の説話集との類縁を示すものも少なくない。しかし、所収話のすべては日本国のできごととして把握され、むしろ仏験の霊異がわが国にも及びえたことの不思議を随喜し、この国を天竺(てんじく)、唐土に比肩すべき土地として、矜持(きょうじ)とともにとらえようとする姿勢が顕著に現れている。これらの所収話の多くは、著者の生きた奈良朝末から平安初期の仏教界の最底辺に語り伝えられた話であり、説話の内部に著者の私度僧(しどそう)時代の布教体験が色濃く影を落としている。当時、私度僧の理想像であった行基(ぎょうき)を「隠身(おんしん)の聖(ひじり)」の顕現として高く評価していることも、そうした私度僧の信仰の実態を反映するものといえよう。一方、本書には、聖武(しょうむ)朝をわが国仏教史の頂点として位置づけ、中巻のすべてをこの時代の説話で埋めようとする姿勢もみいだされ、特異な歴史意識の現れをうかがうことができる。本書の説話には、前代までの神祇(じんぎ)信仰が仏教的な世界に包摂・同化される過程が鮮明に描き出されており、官寺仏教とは異なる民間仏教草創期の信仰の様態を知るうえで興味深い。

　現存するわが国最初の仏教説話集として、後の『法華験記(ほっけげんき)』『三宝絵詞(さんぼうえことば)』『今昔(こんじゃく)物語集』などに多大な影響を与えた。伝本には、真福寺本、興福寺本、前田家本、来迎(らいごう)院本などがあるが、その訓釈は、国語史の資料としても貴重である。

［多田一臣］

『遠藤嘉基・春日和男校注『日本古典文学大系70　日本霊異記』（1967・岩波書店）』▽『中田祝夫校注・訳『日本古典文学全集6　日本霊異記』（1975・小学館）』▽『守屋俊彦著『日本霊異記の研究』正続（1974、78・三弥井書店）』

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