Wikipedia / Engishiki
Wikipedia / Engishiki
The is a Japanese book of laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927.
History
Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the Engishiki in 905. Although previous attempts at codification are known to have taken place, neither the Konin nor the Jogan Gishiki survive, making the Engishiki important for early Japanese historical and religious studies.
Fujiwara no Tokihira began the task, but work stalled when he died four years later in 909. His brother Fujiwara no Tadahira continued the work in 912 eventually completing it in 927.
While the Engishiki was presented to the throne in 927, it was not used as a basis for enacting policy until 967. Possible reasons for this delay in application include a need for it to be revised, the fact that it was simply a record of already existing systems, and also that some of those systems functioned in name only.
Contents
The text is 50 volumes in lengths and is organized by department: it comprises in total approximately 3,100 articles, of which the regulations concerning the Department of Worship account for roughly a third of the entire compendium.
volumes 1–10: Department of Worship: In addition to regulating ceremonials including Daijōsai (the first Niiname-sai following the accession of a new emperor) and worship at Ise Grand Shrine and Saikū, this section of the Engishiki recorded liturgical texts and 2,861 officially recognized Shinto shrines as well as 3,131 officially-recognized kami.
volumes 11–40: Department of State and Eight Ministries
volumes 41–49: Other departments
volume 50: Miscellaneous laws
Engishiki Jinmyōchō
The Engishiki Jinmyōchō is the part of the Engishiki where the main shrines and kami of Japan are listed. Shrines listed in the Engishiki are referred to collectively as while shrines that existed at the time but were not included are called .
There are 2,861 shrines and 3,132 kami listed in the Engishiki, divided into four categories based on whether they were imperially or nationally run, and major or minor:
- 198 shrines and 304 kami
- 375 in total and 433 kami
- 155 in total and 188 kami
- 2,133 in total and 2,207 kami
In addition to listing officially recognized shrines and kami, the Jinmyōchō notes 285 kami of those officially recognized as having the title of due to their particularly noteworthy power.
Shrine lists
These are non-exhaustive lists of shrines of the given categories defined by the Engishiki
List of Myojin Taisha
List of Shikinai Taisha
List of Shikinai Shosha
See also
Ruijū Kokushi, a categorized and chronological history text of the Six National Histories
References
Further reading
Gressit Felicia (1970). Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi era. Felicia Gressitt. Sophia University, Tokyo
External links
Japanese text and English translation at the Japanese Historical Text Initiative
Manuscript scans, Waseda University Library: volumes 1-50 and 8-10