A Research on the Features of the Japanese Language in the Buddhist Kunten Materials

Research Project

Project/Area Number	13610484
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	国語学
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	TSUKIMOTO Masayuki The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Associate Professor, 大学院・人文社会系研究科, 助教授 (60143137)
Project Period (FY)	2001 – 2003
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2003)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000) Fiscal Year 2003: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000) Fiscal Year 2001: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
Keywords	KUNTEN / KUNTEN MATERIALS / KUNTEN LANGUAGE / OLD KUNTEN / HISTORY OF JAPANESE / 日本語資料 / 移点
Research Abstract	Our research is focused on the Japanese readings (Kunten) written on the Classical Chinese Texts of Buddhist books. It is said that in and after the 2nd half of the Heian Era, when the Japanese Buddhist monks copy the Japanese readings, they wrote them in the same manner as their predecessors had done. According to our research, however, this popular theory is obviously wrong. The results of our research are as follows : 1.In the case of some books, for example books on logic (Immyo), the monks partly altered the readings when they copied them. 2.We assume that there were the intention of correcting the errors and outdated expressions among the readings behind these alterations. 3.Consequently, we can know the age of each expression of readings by distinguishing the parts of readings which were altered by the monks from those which remained unchanged.