Honchō Monzui

is a Japanese book of Chinese prose and poetry. It was compiled around the middle of the 11th century during the Heian period by Fujiwara no Akihira.

Composition

''Honchō Monzui'' is 14 volumes in length and contains 432 entries from 69 people over a period of approximately 240 years. The purpose of the work was to create a model and reference for writers. Entries are divided into 39 sections. Divisions are based on Chinese Wén Xuǎn (文選) in which the two share 12 sections. During compilation, Akihira referenced many works, including '' Fusōshū'', , and .

Title

The word ''honchō'' means Japan and is used in opposition to China. When prefixed before a title, it expresses that something is a Japanese version based on a Chinese original. ''Honchō Monzui'' is modeled after Yáo Xuàn's (姚鉉) Táng Wén Cuì (唐文粋). (The Japanese reading of this title is ''Tō Monzui''.)

The oldest reference to this book is found in an entry in (1150) in which it is referred to as "Monzui". While this shorter title can be found in several other works, it appears in as "Honchō Monzui" which is believed to have been the official title.

In place of "monzui", the reading "bunsui" is found in and . However, the commonly accepted reading is "monzui".

Influence

''Honchō Monzui'' had wide range of influence on later literature. The classification system is seen works such as . It is often quoted in composition references such as and used as a model for writing.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Honcho Monzui
Late Old Japanese texts
11th-century Japanese books