A constitutional and social study on the expansion of letter-style documents in the early medieval period of Japan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K16833
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: Rikkyo University
• Principal Investigator: SATO Yuki 立教大学, 文学部, 准教授 (00726573)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 平安時代 / 鎌倉時代 / 奈良時代 / 書状（書札様文書） / 「公と私」 / 権門 / 古文書学 / 文書史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In previous research, the history of Japanese documents was told in the process of transformation from official documents in the ritsuryo system, and the conversion of private documents to official documents in the medieval period. The aim on this study, on the other hand, is to clarify the actual usage of letters in the ancient age, and to clarify the relationship between official documents and letters through ancient and medieval Japan. This perspective is closely related to the understanding of authority in the medieval period. This study discussed the relationship between the Council of State (Daijokan) and the powerful families (kenmon) and the multifaceted nature of the Kamakura bakufu ( from the perspective of documents styles: gechijo, migyosho, and letters).

Free Research Field

日本中世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

古代と中世と時代別になりがちな研究状況に対して、書状という古文書に注目して古代から中世までの通史的な見通しを示すことは、古代と中世という時代区分を再考する手がかりを提供するとともに、通時代的な議論を活性化させる役割を果たすと考える。現存する中世文書も実際には書状形式の文書が多く、書状の歴史的重要性を明らかにすることは、日本社会における今後の史料保存にも寄与すると思われる。