Orthographic Data Analysis for the Textual Study of Genji Manuscripts

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00349
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02010:Japanese literature-related
• Research Institution: Shukutoku University
• Principal Investigator: Saito Tetsuya 淑徳大学, 経営学部, 教授 (70317303)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 源氏物語写本 / 藤原定家 / 仮名字母 / 本文表記 / 頻度分析 / 教師なし分類 / Ngram

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research aims to verify　- using the methods of statistical analysis - a number of pre-existing theories originally formulated on the basis of traditional philological expertise. It aims moreover to propose several new hypotheses based on the findings of this same investigation. Accordingly, this study has the following three primary objectives: (1) the incorporation of novel kana-character variant-containing textual data, as found in either published or online sources; (2) the application of various methods of statistical analysis in its own analytical approaches; and (3) the attainment of various insights into the dating and copyist-identification of individual manuscripts. The particular focus of this study is on manuscript materials associated with Fujiwara no Teika, specifically their datings and copyist attributions, in which task it is greatly aided by the abundance of available resources - above all by the availability of many discrete manuscripts of the Tale of Genji.

Free Research Field

計量文献学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果によって、これまで文学や文献学、書誌学の研究者によって指摘されてきた古典籍の書写者や書写年代に関する通説を、古典籍の本文の用字に着目し、データサイエンスの分析方法とその結果を根拠として、その蓋然性を高めたと言える。加えて、同時代の古典籍を大量に比較することで、新たな古典籍間の関係を提案した。最初に、古典籍の本文をデータ分析するための方法を提案し、書写者や書写年代が明らかな古典籍を対象に、提案する方法を用いた分析結果が通説と矛盾しないことを明らかにした。その事例として、藤原定家や三条西実隆が関わった『源氏物語』写本の書写者や書写年代の推定を行なった。