The King's Mirror (English: Konungsskuggsjá)

Japanese: 王の鏡 - おうのかがみ（英語表記）Konungsskuggsjá

A book on morality from medieval Norway. The author is unknown, and it was written around 1240-63. It shows Augustine's ideal of a king, that the king should rule and judge the earth just as God rules the heavens. It is written in the form of a dialogue in which a wise father seeks advice from his son, and the contents are divided into a preface, a merchant, the king's vassals, and the king. It also includes scholars and farmers, and it seems that the plan was to teach morality to all classes. It contains many interesting descriptions from a cultural history perspective, making it a valuable historical document. [Taniguchi Yukio]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中世ノルウェーの道徳書。作者不明，1240‐63年ごろの成立。神が天を支配するように王は地上を治め裁くというアウグスティヌスの王の理想を示す。賢明な父から子が助言をあおぐという問答形式をとり，内容は〈序〉〈商人〉〈王の家臣〉〈王〉からなる。このほか学者と農夫を加え，すべての階級の道徳を説く計画であったらしい。文化史的にみて興味深い記述も多く，貴重な史料である。【谷口幸男】

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

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