Engishiki

The Engishiki (延喜式, "Procedures of the Engi Era") is a Japanese book about laws and customs. It was mostly finished in 927.[1]

History

In 905, Emperor Daigo gave an order for the compilation of the Engishiki. While there were previous attempts at codifying such information, the Konin and the Jogan Gishiki no longer exist,[2] making the Engishiki an essential source for early Japanese historical and religious studies.[3]

The task of revising the Engishiki was initiated by Fujiwara no Tokihira. However, the work was left incomplete when he died four years later in 909. His brother, Fujiwara no Tadahira, continued the task in 912 and was able to complete the revisions in 927..

The Engishiki underwent several revisions, and after these revisions, it served as a basis for reform initiatives that began in 967..[source?]

Contents

The Engishiki is a text that is composed of 50 volumes. These volumes are organized by department. The text contains information on various topics such as worship, state, ministries, and laws.

  • The first 10 volumes of the Engishiki, which falls under the Department of Divinities, are responsible for regulating various ceremonies, such as the Daijyō-sai and worship at the Ise Grand Shrine and Saikū. It also recorded liturgical texts, listed all the 2,861 Shinto shrines that existed at that time, and identified the 3,131 officially-recognized and enshrined Kami.[4] In 1970, Felicia Gressitt Bock published a two-volume annotated English language translation, titled "Engi-shiki; procedures of the Engi Era," which included an introduction.
  • Volumes 11 to 40 belong to the Daijō-kan and Eight Ministries.
  • Volumes 41 to 49 fall under other departments
  • Volume 50 contains miscellaneous laws.

References

  1. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Engi-shiki" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 178.
  2. ↑ "Jogan Gishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 139.
  3. ↑ " Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inv, 2011) p. 92.
  4. ↑ " Engishiki" in Stuart D. B. Pecken, ed., Historical Dictionary of Shinto. Second edition. (Lanham, MD, USA: Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2011) p. 92.

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