Right hand writing

Refers to a writer or representative. Since ancient times in Japan, there have been people called shosei and kumon who specialized in creating public and private documents, but from the Middle Ages onwards, people who similarly created documents were called uhitsu, and this system developed especially among the samurai. In the Kamakura Shogunate, uhitsu were placed in the hikitsuki, and in the Muromachi Shogunate, the hikitsukishu and Mandokoro yoriudo were collectively called uhitsushu or uhitsukata. In the Edo period, the Shogunate continued this system, with positions such as oku uhitsu and omote uhitsu. Private scribes were also called uhitsu, and if the handwriting was poor, such as copying sutras, a uhitsu was often requested. In modern times, the title uhitsu disappeared, but document creation specialists such as scribes continued to exist. It can also be written as yuhitsu.

[Kenji Iinuma]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

執筆者・代表者のこと。古代以来日本では、公私の文書の作成を専門にする書生・公文(くもん)などとよばれる人がいたが、中世以降は、同様に文書作成にあたる人を右筆とよび、とくに武家でこの制度が発展した。鎌倉幕府では引付(ひきつけ)に右筆が置かれ、室町幕府では引付衆と政所寄人(まんどころよりうど)を総称して右筆衆または右筆方とよんでいる。江戸時代になっても幕府はこの制度を引き継ぎ、奥右筆、表右筆などが置かれていた。また私的な代筆者も右筆とよばれ、写経などでも悪筆である場合は、右筆を頼むことが多かった。近代に入ると、右筆の称はなくなったが、書記などの文書作成の専門職は存続した。祐筆とも書く。

［飯沼賢司］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例