Endorsement - Hashiuragaki

Japanese: 端裏書 - はしうらがき

A term used in paleography. The right edge of a document is called the hashi (edge), and the characters written on the back of it are called hashi-no-gyo. Documents are usually folded with the left edge (rear) facing inward, so when the document is completely folded, the hashi-no-gyo is exposed on the front. If the person who receives the document writes a brief description of the document's contents here, they can understand the contents without having to open the document each time. In other words, hashi-no-gyo is written by the person who receives the document for the purpose of a memorandum, etc., but it can also be an important clue in understanding the contents of the document.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

古文書学上の用語。文書の右端を端（はし）といい，その裏に書かれた文字が端裏書である。文書はふつう左端(奥)を内側にして折り畳むから，完全に折り畳むと端裏の部分が表に出る。文書を受け取った人はここへ簡単にその文書の内容を記しておくと，いちいちその文書を開けてみなくても，その内容がわかる。すなわち端裏書とは，文書を受け取った人が覚書等の目的で記したものであるが，また文書の内容を理解するうえで重要な手がかりになる場合がある。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Jacques Vaché

>>: Hajj 'Umar