Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 221

1841.

Notices of Japan, No. VIII.

207

text of which is in the Chinese character. The Japanese, like the Chinese, write in columns, from the top to the bottom of the paper, and begin from the right side.* and voices. For some general remarks on the Japanese tongue, see Chi. Rep., vol. VI, page 105.]

* We give a few additional particulars, concerning the syllabarics of the Japan- ese language, most of which are abridged from an article by Klaproth, in the Nouveau Journal Asiatique for Jan. 1829. The following is his account of the introduction of the Chinese literature into Japan.

“Up to the time of the sixteenth datri, named Ouzin tenwo,

應神天皇

the Japanese had no writing, all ordinances and proclamations being made vivá voce. Under the reign of this prince, Chinese characters began to be employed.

In the year 284 B. C., Oüzin tenwo sent an embassy to the kingdom of

王仁

Haku-sai, which then existed in the southeastern part of Corea, to obtain learned persons, who were able to introduce the civilization and literature of China into his dominions. The embassador, on his return, brought the celebrated Wonin or Wangjin, who perfectly fulfilled the object proposed. He was des- cended from the emperor Kaoutsoo of the Han dynasty, and on his arrival was appointed the instructor of two princes. His descendants subsequently filled high military dignities, and his own merit appeared so great to the Japanese that they afterwards accorded him divine honors. Since the time of Wonin, the Chinese characters have been in use among the Japanesc. In the form of pure Chinese, they are employed principally in works of learning; but this does not hinder their diffusion throughout the country.

"However, as the construction of the Japanese language differs materially from that of the Chinese, and as the same Chinese character frequently has many meanings, the need of a remedy for this inconvenience was soon perceived, and consequently, a syllabary was formed, in the beginning of the 8th century, from

parts of Chinese characters, which was called for this reason kata-kana, R

T

meaning 'parts of letters.' This syllabary is used, at the side of Chinese characters, to indicate their pronunciation or their signification in Japanese, or between them to mark the grammatical forms of the idiom rendered difficult by the use of isolated characters. It is not known certainly who is the author of this syllabary, but tradition ascribes its invention to the illustrious Kibi. An- other Japanese work called Wa Zi Si (Origin of Things in Japan), assures us that Kibi composed the kata-kana syllabary, and that he traveled to China, from whence he returned in A. D. 733. After his death, flourished the famous Koubo, the inventor of another syllabary, which could be used for the Japanese language alone, without having recourse to the Chinese. It is called hira-kana For 'equal writing,' and like the kata-kana is derived

from Chinese characters.

"Of the invention of the third syllabary, we read as follows: 'In the year

1006 A. D., a priest of Budha, called Ziäku sõ 寂昭 (or Shahchaou in Chi-

nese) went from Japan to carry tribute to China. He did not understand the spoken Chinese, but as he wrote it very well, he was directed to make out a list of Chinese characters with their meanings in Japanese. At this time it was he made some letters for his country, forty-seven in number; this number was adopt- ed because the syllabary brought from India had that number.' The forty-eighth syllable was added afterwards. This syllabary, which is used indiscriminately with the hira-kana, is called after the name of its inventor.

There is still another ancient syllabary, with which was written the collection of odes called the Myriad Leaves, and which for this reason is called Mānyo-kana.