Hosho - Hosho

Japanese: 奉書 - ほうしょ

A document issued by a vassal to convey the will of their master. When a person of higher rank wanted to convey his will to a person of lower rank, he would have his vassal issue a hosho instead of writing it in his own name, and this became popular after the Heian period. It was written down as "Ouse yore, shittatsu kudan no gotoshi" to show that it was a lord's order. Hosho were called by various names depending on the status of the master. Those issued by the kurodo at the command of the emperor were called rinji, those issued by the inshin at the command of the retired emperor or retired emperor were called inzen, those issued by court ladies at the command of the emperor, retired emperor or other nobles were called nyobo hosho, those issued by empresses and princes were called ryoji, and those issued by nobles of third rank or higher were called migyosho. Other examples of hosho include the betto-sen issued by the Kebiishi betto, the kokusen issued by the feudal lords of various provinces, and the zejo-sen issued by the head of the Tachibana clan. Hosho were also widely used by samurai. Representative examples include the Kanto gokyosho, Rokuhara gokyosho, and Chinzei gokyosho of the Kamakura shogunate, the kanrei hosho, hikitsuke tonin hosho, and bugyonin hosho of the Muromachi shogunate, and the rōjū hosho of the Edo shogunate. Hosho were also issued by the Hojo and Ashikaga clans of the Kamakura period, and by feudal lords of the Muromachi period. Hosho can also be seen at temples, such as the head priest of Ninnaji, the head priest of Enryakuji, and the head priest of Toji. Originally, hosho were often used for private matters, but gradually they came to handle official matters, and were used as official documents (kobunsho) especially by the shogunate.

[Momose Kesao]

Hosho paper

The paper used for hosho is called hosho paper, or hosho for short. Terashima Ryoan's Wakan Sansai Zue, compiled in 1712 (Shotoku 2), states that "hosho paper belongs to the danshi family and comes in large, small, thick and thin varieties; Sugihara paper and hosho paper are somewhat thin and soft," and contemporary documents also list varieties such as large hosho, medium hosho and small hosho. The hosho paper that was widely used up until the early modern period was a thick washi paper made from the same paper mulberry as Sugihara paper.

The first time the name "hosho paper" appeared in a document was in the 27th of January in the Jinkenki of 1573 (Tensho 1), an article about the purchase of hosho paper in Echizen (Fukui Prefecture), which suggests that Echizen Province was already a famous paper-producing region. From the end of the Middle Ages, the Mitamura family of Goka Village in Echizen Province (Imadate District, Echizen City) was given the privilege of making fresh hosho paper for the Shogun family and provincial governors, a privilege that continued into the Edo period. During the Edo period, hosho paper was used not only by samurai but also by nobles, and many more paper manufacturers appeared in Goka Village, making the name of Echizen hosho known to the world. From that time on, the production of hosho paper spread throughout the country, and in 1777 (An'ei 6), the Shinsen Kamikagami, edited by Kimura Seichiku, lists the names of Tango, Inaba, Kaga, Mimasaka, Awa, Kyoto, Tosa, Bitchu, Bingo, Bungo, Chikuzen, Chikugo, Iyo, Aki, Nagato, and Mino, in addition to Echizen. There are five types of Echizen hosho: Gozenhiro (medium-wide), Ohosho (Honmasa), Chuhosho (Aimasa), Kohosho (upper-sized), Irohosho, Monhosho, and Suminagashi. Most of the hosho currently on the market is made from wood pulp.

[Machida Masayuki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

主人の意志を伝えるため家臣が発行する文書。身分の高い人が、低い身分の人に対し自分の意志を伝える場合に、本人名の直書でなく家臣に奉書を出させたもので、平安時代以降盛んとなった。「依仰(おうせによって)、執達(しったつ)　如件(くだんのごとし)」などと書き留め、主命であることを表した。奉書は主人の身分によりいろいろの名称でよばれる。天皇の命令で蔵人(くろうど)が出すものを綸旨(りんじ)、上皇・法皇の命令で院臣の出すものを院宣(いんぜん)、天皇・上皇その他貴人の命令で女官の出すものを女房(にょうぼう)奉書、皇后や親王の場合を令旨(りょうじ)、三位(さんみ)以上の公卿(くぎょう)の場合を御教書(みぎょうしょ)という。また検非違使別当(けびいしのべっとう)の別当宣、諸国の知行(ちぎょう)主の出す国宣(こくせん)、橘(たちばな)氏の長者の是定(ぜじょう)宣も奉書である。武家でも奉書は盛んに使われた。鎌倉幕府の関東御教書、六波羅(ろくはら)御教書、鎮西(ちんぜい)御教書、室町幕府の管領(かんれい)奉書、引付頭人(ひきつけとうにん)奉書、奉行人(ぶぎょうにん)奉書、江戸幕府の老中奉書は代表的なものである。このほか鎌倉時代の北条氏、足利(あしかが)氏、室町時代の大名家などでも奉書を発給した。寺院でも仁和寺(にんなじ)門主、延暦寺座主(えんりゃくじざす)、東寺長者などに奉書がみられる。奉書はもと私的内容に使われることが多かったが、しだいに公的内容を取り扱うようになり、とくに幕府では公文書(こうぶんしょ)として用いられた。

［百瀬今朝雄］

奉書紙

奉書に用いる紙を奉書紙といい、略して奉書とよぶ。1712年（正徳2）成立の寺島良安の『和漢三才図会(わかんさんさいずえ)』には「奉書紙は檀紙(だんし)に属し、大小厚薄あり、杉原紙、奉書紙はやや薄く軟らか」とあり、同時代の文献には大奉書、中奉書、小奉書などの種類も記されている。近世に至るまで盛んに使用された奉書は、杉原紙と同様のコウゾ（楮）を原料とした厚手の和紙であった。

　奉書紙の名が文献に初出するのは1573年（天正1）の『尋憲記(じんけんき)』正月27日の条で、越前(えちぜん)（福井県）において奉書紙を購入した旨の記事であるといわれ、そのころからすでに越前国が名産地であったことがうかがえる。越前国五箇(ごか)村（越前(えちぜん)市今立(いまだて)地区）の三田村家は、中世末期から将軍家や国守(こくしゅ)の奉書紙漉(す)き立ての特権が与えられ、江戸時代に至るまで続いた。江戸時代には武家だけでなく、公家(くげ)なども奉書を愛用するようになり、五箇村ではさらに多くの製紙業者が現れて越前奉書の名を世に知らしめた。そのころから奉書の生産は全国的に広がり、1777年（安永6）刊の木村青竹(せいちく)編『新撰紙鑑(しんせんかみかがみ)』には、越前のほかに丹後(たんご)、因幡(いなば)、加賀(かが)、美作(みまさか)、阿波(あわ)、京、土佐(とさ)、備中(びっちゅう)、備後(びんご)、豊後(ぶんご)、筑前(ちくぜん)、筑後(ちくご)、伊予(いよ)、安芸(あき)、長門(ながと)、美濃(みの)の名が記されている。越前奉書の種類には、御前広(ごぜんひろ)（中広）、大奉書（本政(ほんまさ)）、中奉書（間政(あいまさ)）、小奉書（上判）、色奉書、紋奉書、墨流しがあり、色奉書は五色ある。なお、現在市販されている奉書の多くは木材パルプを原料としている。

［町田誠之］

[参照項目] | 院宣 | 国宣 | 女房奉書 | 別当宣 | 御教書 | 令旨 | 綸旨

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