Basic knowledge which knows Edo culture
Kazuo Asano(05/29/2002)

I take up minimum knowledge when knowing the culture of the Edo period. Moreover, an item may increase from now on.Edo is called Tokyo now and is the capital in Japan . Edo was the population which would already exceed 1 million people in the 1800s .

Literacy rate
In the Edo at the time, there was male literacy no less than 85%. Then, the book for hire, the tile version, etc. spread quickly. Naturally, the culture centering on the publication which printed the character and the picture progressed. The contents of a publication are a novel, a Japanese poem of 31 syllables, a comic tanka, a Haiku poem, Esousi, Ukiyoe, etc., and, also personally, comparatively rich people built the haiku poem, the comic tanka, etc. The private school called "Terakoya" taught the reading and writing which are to educational foundations, and arithmetic, and about 50,000 places had it in the Edo period last stage in the whole country.

The difference between Japanese and the alphabet.
I think most that how to probably write a sentence will feel sense of incongruity for people in the non-Chinese character area. English, French, German, etc. are horizontally written toward the right from the left. However, generally Japanese is written toward the bottom from a top. Although it may write horizontally now, it was completely vertical writing about the Edo period or before.
The number of the alphabet is 26, and even if it compares a capital letter, there is by 52 double characters. In present Japan, there are three kinds of characters other than the alphabet. They are Chinese character, katakana, and hiragana. There are 48 characters in a hiragana. Similarly the number of katakanas is also 48. Although the number with tens of thousands of characters of the Chinese characters currently used in China or Japan is said, one actually required of everyday life is called about 3000 characters. The Chinese character used in education is called commonly used Chinese character, and the number of them is 1945.
however, 10 or more times of the Japanese-syllabary character hiragana used till the Edo period -- it was . Moreover, although it was not an object for printing, the style of handwriting (font) also Kaisyo style, Gyousyo style ,Sousyo style, Reisyo style etc. The character was written with the brush called Fude. There were many forms of order or an abbreviation also in the same character, and it was very difficult. The brush character before Meiji is called Komonjyo(ancient documents) now. There was literacy in Edo of those days 85%, and those who can read the reference of ancient documents as it is do not have Japanese people at about 0.01% now, either.

Kyoka ( A comic tanka )
A comic tanka is with slang etc., although number of letters etc. is the same as a Japanese poem of 31 syllables on a form, and it features humorous taste. Although comical poem of the "Manyou-shu", the haikai poem of the "Kokin wakashu", etc. are made into the origin, being especially mentioned on history of literature is in fashion in the Edo period, especially the Tenmei time in the second half of the 18th century.The Tenmei comic tanka ignited by "the Meiwa Kyoukagou of No. 15 etc." in 1770 (Meiwa 7) etc. in which Karakoromokishu,YomoAkara (Ota Nanbo) participated. concern Focusing on Akara, it developed by Akerakankou,Yadonomesimori (Ishikawa Gabou) after "Bansai Kyoka shu" published in 83 (Tenmei 3).

Manyou-shu the song of the about 4500 by the oldest existing anthology from the middle of the 7th century to the middle of the 8th century is stored in 20 volumes. the meaning of the "Manyou-shu" -- gathering 10,000 words -- there are an opinion to carry out and an opinion it is supposed that were entitled by the 10,000th generation from the wish . It is supposed that it came to take the form like which is present through several compilation over many years at the end time of the 8th century. To have concerned OotomonoYakamoti is considered by compilation. There is a both theory of compilation by Imperial command and private, and it has the character of the song diary of Yakamoti after a volume 17. The author is as large as the Emperor to people, and has many songs stuck to the life. The notation is made by the so-called manyo-gana which had phonographically the sound and reading in the Japanese pronunciation of a Chinese character, and was. Manyo-gana is what applied the Chinese character which came across the sea from the China continent to the Japanese notation since Japan did not have a peculiar character, since it is based on this notation, reading comprehension is already difficult at the Heian period, and native Japanese reading is tried.

Manyo-gana It is the notation which borrows the "On" or reading in the Japanese pronunciation of a Chinese character, and expresses words of Japanese origin in writing. It is unrelated to the meaning of a Chinese character. Before the Japanese syllabary develops into the Heian period, have and it is, and the reference of the Nara period centering on the "Manyou-shu" sees. It is also called the true Japanese syllabary.

The Kokin wakashu is the first imperial anthologies built at the Heian period. Tomonori Kino, Kino Tsurayuki, Ooshikouti no Mifune, and the Mibu Tadamine edited by Emperor Daigo's command. About completion time, a 905-year (Engi era 5) theory has leading various-views .It consists of 20 volumes, the Japanese-syllabary foreword by Ki no Tsurayuki is in the beginning of a book, and Manajyo by Kino Yosimoti is in last volume. Especially a Japanese-syllabary foreword has high evaluation as a full-scale waka criticism.