Nihon RyÅiki
The Nihon Ryōiki (Japanese日本 霊 异 记, dt " records of miracles in Japan "), even Nihon Reiiki, with full title: Nippon - koku Gembōzenaku - Ryo -i -ki (日本国 现 报 善 悪 霊 异 记" Records about miracles visible - current retribution of good and evil in the land of Japan " ), the oldest preserved text of the Japanese setsuwa is bungaku. The Buddhist clergy Kyōkai (also: Keikai ) presented the work in the early Heian period together and finished it before 822 The Nihon Ryōiki contains 116 early Buddhist legends and is written in the classic Kanbun; Hermann Bohner translated it under the title legends from the early days of Japanese Buddhism into German.
Content
The Nihon Ryōiki consists of three fascicles ( " books " ), which are essentially organized chronologically.
Although written in Chinese characters and demgemäßer diction, it is the first work of so-called setsuwa bungaku called, first orally transmitted, then be signed in nice shape " narratives " (cf. fabula in original meaning: short narrative with teaching, teaching, edifying intention ). Not only Buddhist, especially Buddhist reporting, is here on a high point, but also that other, hard to release end of Confucius, the very Chinese, Chinese writing and diction, Chinese hsueh -wen (学 交, "knowledge; education "). The connoisseur of the Mahayana Sutras reads an entire world from the Nihon Ryōiki quoted.
Title
The title sums up as in a Summa, what the work wants. Since the individual characters of the title are linguistically together so loosely to each other that the most varied interpretations are conceivable, indeed related to each other simultaneously, a translation of the title is hardly possible. Starting point is the last letter is ki (记, " report [ s ]; font ", also in the sense of our "above, from "). The central character is the front of it i (异, "different, different " ): The story is about the world of totaliter aliter, the " all- other ", the miracle seed; be given to reports of miraculous, Full - or else miraculous reports. The sign ryō (霊, "spirit [ he ]") specializes this. There are reports of infallible proofs of that so very different, the people otherwise closed world of spirits. The middle characters of the title indicate the content of these infallible proofs: The central experience is the inga experience gembō (现 报, "visible - current retaliation" ). That is to say: There is a retaliation, and it manifests itself and is experienced first in this existence; but also happen from the later existence ago rallies in this present existence, zen - aku (善 悪, "good - evil "), " for better or for worse " - but this may also be related to the following character. The first signs Nippon - koku (日本国) show that the work is genuinely Japanese and plays in the "Land Japan".
Authorship and time of origin
There is little we know of Kyōkai, and most, if not all, we know him by yourself Nowhere do we learn more about Kyōkai as in the 38th story of the third volume of his work. As if awakening sweeps the reminder again about the mitdurchlebte time story and then, in a second part, the private life of the author turns to; what interested him this long time over, flows out; the motives that moved him to the work, come forth: Gone is the youth, the age is approaching. And then what? In the dream ( 7 years Enryaku, 788 ) sees Kyōkais soul in typical occult way burn your own body. But even here, the right man Kyōkai shows: He curses not thereat heaven, he did not scold the people; he knocks on his own chest. Only now did he fully recognizes that this is the harvest of their own sowing, of one's own karma (因 课, inga ); he repents, repent, be an entirely new turns to, do good (修善, Shuzen ). Already previously it has come into contact with the sacred word, but now unfolds in him the great zeal; he studied the sutras, he obtained those amazing knowledge of the Scriptures, showing the Nihon Ryōiki. Kyōkai resided at the time of writing in Yakushiji in Nara, so the membership, he is credited for Hosso.
The work was written in a transition time when the two Japanese syllabic alphabets were developed only just, but the precursor of man'yōgana was quite common. However, it is in pure Sino - Japanese, wrote the so-called Kanbun. Ekisai Kariya (狩 谷 掖 斋; 1775-1835 ), the compiler of the great anthology of Japanese literature, Gunsho Ruijū, had, according to his sources judgmental, laid the work in the Konin - years 810-823. In the first part of the preface to the 6th year Enryaku III ( 787) is called explicitly. From several years of compilation, probably 786-805, is assumed. In all likelihood Kyōkai has until late in the Konin - years lived during these years and completed his work.
Manuscripts
That survived four manuscripts of the Ryōiki, but none is complete.