Featured texts 5: Encyclopedias by Japanese Zen monks

As we have seen so far, Chinese works were not simply read and used as they were, but were often freely modified or added to other existing works for a variety of purposes. In the following five steps, we will look at several types of books produced by Japanese Zen monks. Prof. Horikawa will explain how Japanese monk-scholars organized existing information and created their own works.

Keio’s books introduced in the video

1. Gyokuro bassui (Gleanings of Pearly Dew), manuscript, 15th c.
   Click to see the image and information
2. Shiren yōshin (Essentials for Poetry Composition), manuscript, 16th c.
   Click to see the image and information

Keywords introduced in the video

• renga
• renku
• Confucius
• Helin yulu
• Song-period
• encyclopedia
• Gozan-ban
• Yōshin