Biography of women

In addition to the single-part series of biographies of women such as the seven-volume "Ancient Women's Biography" compiled by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty and the three-volume "Ancient Women's Biography" compiled by Kaishin of the Ming Dynasty, there are also biographies of women attached to official histories such as the "Book of the Later Han." "Ancient Women's Biography" lists anecdotes about women who are worthy of being used as examples or warnings from the time of Yao and Shun to the end of the Warring States period, and consists of seven stories: Motherly Justice, Wisdom, Benevolence, Chastity, Righteousness, Eloquence, and Wisdom. It is said that there were originally eight chapters, but the old form was lost around the Six Dynasties. The current annotated edition by Wang Zhaoyuan of the Qing dynasty is an eight-volume work that also includes an anecdote about women in the Han dynasty, either written by Ban Zhao or Xiang Yuan. The "Kurei Joden" includes not only beautiful tales such as Mengmu's three departures, but also tales of wicked women who brought ruin to their country, such as Baqi and Daji, but the stories of immorality have disappeared from subsequent editions of the "Kurei Joden". The "Kurei Joden" was introduced to Japan long ago, during the Heian period, but in the Edo period, a kunten edition was published in 1654 (Shoo 3) in conjunction with the "Shin Zoku Retsu Joden" published by the Joseon Dynasty. Around the same time, "Honcho Retsu Joden" by Kurosawa Hirotada and "Kana Retsu Joden" by Kitamura Kigin were also published.

[Junichi Yamazaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、前漢の劉向(りゅうきょう)の撰(せん)『古列女伝』7巻や明(みん)の解縉(かいしん)撰『古今列女伝』3巻などの単行列女伝のほか、『後漢書(ごかんじょ)』などの正史に付された列女伝がある。『古列女伝』は堯(ぎょう)・舜(しゅん)の時代より戦国末までの模範や戒めとするに足る婦女の逸話を列叙し、母儀、賢明、仁智(じんち)、貞順、節義、弁道、孼嬖(げっぺい)の7伝からなる。もとは8篇(へん)だったらしいが、六朝(りくちょう)ごろには旧態が失われた。現行の清(しん)朝の王照圓(しょうえん)の補注本は班昭撰とも項原撰ともいう漢代婦女の逸話集をも加えた八巻本である。『古列女伝』は孟母三遷(もうぼさんせん)のごとき美談のみか、末喜(ばっき)、妲己(だっき)らの悪女亡国譚(だ)も載せたが、後続の列女伝からは背徳譚は姿を消した。『古列女伝』の日本渡来は古く、平安時代のことらしいが、江戸時代に入り、1654年（承応3）に李氏(りし)朝鮮刊の『新続列女伝』と合刻の訓点本が刊行された。同時期には、黒沢弘忠(ひろただ)の『本朝列女伝』や北村季吟(きぎん)の『仮名列女伝』も出版されている。

［山崎純一］

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