Rai San’yō and Nihon Gaishi

Abstract

Rai San’yō (Rai Noboru) (1780-1832) was born in 1780. His main works were written in kanbun, a language very difficult to read and understand, so the numerous translations that were made by historians and writers always leave room for controversy and interpretation. The main work of Rai San’yō is Nihon Gaishi . It became most popular during the revolutionary and turbulent times of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Restoration, when power passed from the Shoguns into the hands of the Imperial House. Subsequently, this particular work gained an important place in the ideological system of the Meiji state. In modern (post-war) Japan, this author and his work are in the category of those writers from the past whose historiography of Japan has little weight. Rai San’yō’s Nihon Gaishi was conceived as a book about the power of samurai houses in Japan. In his introductory article reigen , Rai San’yō, wrote that "from the very beginning, the goal of this work was to show how the rise and fall of the shogun houses took place." Therefore, the key term of the history of Rai San’yō was taiken , a term which is used to denote the supreme power. From the point of view of the morals of the samurai class, Sanyo especially demonstrates appreciation for Minamoto Yoritomo, who did not go beyond his status and claim the position of the Imperial House, and thus created a system in the country that was significantly different from the Chinese one. In this system, the Emperor was left with the function of granting ranks, which did not give him real political power. Finally, Nihon Gaishi deserves the attention of researchers at least in the three ways. First, it is valuable as the work of a historian who carried out historical research at a time when the main parameters of this profession were not yet formed. Second, it gives us a view of the struggles for power during the Shogunate period, the way it was perceived by a person who lived during this period. Third, it stands as a work which was influential during the Meiji Ishin period and the fall of the Shogunate.