Gukanshō

is a historical and literary work about the history of Japan. Seven volumes in length, it was composed by Buddhist priest Jien of the Tendai sect c. 1220. [Brownlee, John. (1991). "Political thought in Japanese historical writing: from "Kojiki" (712) to "Tokushi Yoron" (1712)." pp. 92-102.]

Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and the bakufu inspired Jien to write. [Brown, Delmer "et al." (1975). "Gunkanshō," pp. 402-403.] Jien was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, and his insider's perspective ensured that his work would have a distinct point-of-view. Rather than working towards an absence of bias, he embraced it; and "Gushankō" is fairly described as a work of historical argument. [ Brownlee, pp. 92-93.] The writer does try to approach Japan's past in a new way, but he does so under the influences of old historical and genealogical interests. [Brown, p. 6.]

Contents

The text is composed of three major sections:
# Volumes 1 and 2 consist of imperial chronicle beginning with Emperor Jimmu and concluding with Emperor Juntoku.
# Volumes 3 through 6 present a historical description focusing on the transition of things.
# Volume 7 offers a summary of the state of things.

The careful writer attempted to apply Buddhist principles such as mappō to the process of developing a chronicle of people and events. He was also self-consciously focused on the application of Buddhist principles in the analysis of Japanese history. [Brownlee, p. 96.] However, Jien could never completely divorce his position as as a son and brother of Fujiwara "kogyū" officials from his position as a priest who studied and practiced Buddhism. [Brown, p. 418-419.]

References

English:
* Brown, Delmer and Ichiro Ishida, eds. (1979). "Gukanshō; "The Future and the Past: a translation and study of the 'Gukanshō,' an interpretive history of Japan written in 1219" translated from the Japanese and edited by Delmer M. Brown & Ichirō Ishida." Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0
*Brownlee, John S. (1991). "Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From Kojiki (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712)." Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 0-889-20997-9Japanese:
* Okami, Masao and Toshihide Akamatsu. (1967). [Jien, c. 1220] "Gukanshō." Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 4-0006-0086-9

ee also

* Kokki, 620
* Tennōki, 620
* Teiki, 681
* Kojiki, 712
* Nihon Shoki, 720 -- historical argument, legendary perspective
* Jinnō Shōtōki, 1359 -- historical argument, Shinto perspective
* Nihon Ōdai Ichiran, 1652 -- historical argument, neo-Confucian perspective
* Tokushi Yoron, 1712 -- historical argument, rationalist perspective

* Historiographical Institute of the University of Tokyo
* International Research Center for Japanese Studies
* Historiography
* Philosophy of History