Wagokuhen
Encyclopedia
The was a circa 1489 CE Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters. This early Muromachi Period
Japanization was based upon the circa 543 CE Chinese Yupian
(玉篇 "Jade Chapters"), as available in the 1013 CE Daguang yihui Yupian (大廣益會玉篇; "Enlarged and Expanded Yupian"). The date and compiler of the Wagokuhen are uncertain. Since the oldest extant editions of 1489 and 1491 CE are from the Entoku
era, that may approximate the time of original compilation. The title was later written 和玉篇 with the graphic variant wa 和 "harmony; Japan" for wa 倭 "dwarf; Japan".
Internal collation
is through Chinese character radicals
. Each head kanji
entry gives katakana
annotations for readings in on'yomi Sino-Japanese to the right and native kun'yomi Japanese below the character. There are few definitions and no entries for compounds
. This format is similar with the Jikyōshū
, except that the Wagokuhen does not semantically subdivide characters within a radical division.
The Wagokuhen was frequently revised and reprinted, for example, the Shūchin Wagokuhen (袖珍倭玉篇 "Pocket Edition Wagokuhen"). Scholars categorize over 51 editions (Chen 1996:281) by the number and arrangement of radicals. While the Yupian has a system of 542 radicals, different Wagokuhen editions have from 100 to 542. Bailey (1960:31) notes that the textual variations are usually divided into four types, depending upon the sequence of the first four radicals in the edition.
The evidence shows that Type 1 was closest to the original Yupian, Type 2 was influenced by the Liao Dynasty
dictionary Longkan shoujian 龍龕手鑑 ("Hand Mirror for the Dragon Niche") with 242 radicals, Type 3 was by the expanded Daguang yihui Yupian, and Type 4 was also influenced by the Daguang and the Japanese Jikyōshū. The Wagokuhen was popular until the Edo Period
when Japanese dictionaries began to include compounds as well as individual characters.
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
Japanization was based upon the circa 543 CE Chinese Yupian
Yupian
The Yupian is a circa 543 CE Chinese dictionary edited by Gu Yewang during the Liang Dynasty. It arranges 12,158 character entries under 542 radicals, which differ somewhat from the original 540 in the Shuowen Jiezi...
(玉篇 "Jade Chapters"), as available in the 1013 CE Daguang yihui Yupian (大廣益會玉篇; "Enlarged and Expanded Yupian"). The date and compiler of the Wagokuhen are uncertain. Since the oldest extant editions of 1489 and 1491 CE are from the Entoku
Entoku
was a after Chōkyō and before Meio. This period spanned the years from August 1489 through July 1492. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1489 : The era name was changed to mark an event or a number of events...
era, that may approximate the time of original compilation. The title was later written 和玉篇 with the graphic variant wa 和 "harmony; Japan" for wa 倭 "dwarf; Japan".
Internal collation
Collation
Collation is the assembly of written information into a standard order. One common type of collation is called alphabetization, though collation is not limited to ordering letters of the alphabet...
is through Chinese character radicals
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
. Each head kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
entry gives katakana
Katakana
is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
annotations for readings in on'yomi Sino-Japanese to the right and native kun'yomi Japanese below the character. There are few definitions and no entries for compounds
Compound (linguistics)
In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme that consists of more than one stem. Compounding or composition is the word formation that creates compound lexemes...
. This format is similar with the Jikyōshū
Jikyoshu
The was a circa 1245 CE Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters. The "Mirror of Characters" title echoes the Shinsen Jikyō, and the internal organization closely follows the Ruiju Myōgishō....
, except that the Wagokuhen does not semantically subdivide characters within a radical division.
The Wagokuhen was frequently revised and reprinted, for example, the Shūchin Wagokuhen (袖珍倭玉篇 "Pocket Edition Wagokuhen"). Scholars categorize over 51 editions (Chen 1996:281) by the number and arrangement of radicals. While the Yupian has a system of 542 radicals, different Wagokuhen editions have from 100 to 542. Bailey (1960:31) notes that the textual variations are usually divided into four types, depending upon the sequence of the first four radicals in the edition.
- Type 1: Those beginning with the radicals 日 (sun), 月 (moon), 肉 (flesh), 人 (person)
- Type 2: Those beginning with the radicals 金 (gold), 人 (person), 言 (speech), 心 (heart)
- Type 3: Those beginning with the radicals 一 (one), 上 (above), 示 (point), 二 (two)
- Type 4: Those beginning with the radicals 示 (point), 玉 (gem), 土 (earth), 田 (field)
The evidence shows that Type 1 was closest to the original Yupian, Type 2 was influenced by the Liao Dynasty
Liao Dynasty
The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125...
dictionary Longkan shoujian 龍龕手鑑 ("Hand Mirror for the Dragon Niche") with 242 radicals, Type 3 was by the expanded Daguang yihui Yupian, and Type 4 was also influenced by the Daguang and the Japanese Jikyōshū. The Wagokuhen was popular until the Edo Period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
when Japanese dictionaries began to include compounds as well as individual characters.
External links
- Manuscript scans at Waseda University LibraryWaseda University LibraryThe library of Waseda University is one of the largest libraries in Japan. It was established in 1882, and currently holds some 4.5 million volumes and 46,000 serials.-History:...
: 1610, 1610, 1628 - 和玉篇, 1605 edition Wagokuhen GIFGIFThe Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
scans, Nara Women's University Library