Tokio Takata 高田時雄
(Institute for Reserch in Humanities,Kyoto University)
On the Emendation of the Da Tang xi yu ji during Gaozong’s Reign:
An Examination Based on Ancient Japanese Manuscripts
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Xuanzang’s 玄奘 Da Tang xi yu ji 大唐西域記 or Records of the Western Regions
during the Great Tang Dynasty was completed in year 20 of the Zhenguan
era 貞觀 (646 C.E.). On the 13th day of the 7th month of the same year, the
famous work was officially presented to Emperor Taizong 太宗. This, however,
is not the end of the textual history of the Da Tang xi yu ji. During Emperor’s
Gaozong’s 高宗 reign, to be more precise in year 1 of the Xianqing era 顯慶
(656), the text appears to have been emended by a group of scholars lead
by Yu Zhining 于志寧. The scholars were officially assigned to revise and
edit Xuanzang’s translations of Buddhist scriptures, and the emendation
of the original version of the Da Tang xi yu ji was part of this collective
project. On the whole, the emendations do not seem to have been substantial,
but we cannot ignore the fact that the text existed and circulated in two
versions.
Together with the extant Dunhuang fragments of the text, the ancient
Japanese manuscripts of the Da Tang xi yu ji, which appear to reflect the
correct version current in the Tang Dynasty, represent extremely important
witnesses crucial for the reconstruction of the history of Xuanzang’s opus.
In my presentation, I attempt to shed light on the scope and nature of
the emendation undertaken by Yu Zhining and his team by collating all the
ancient Japanese manuscripts available to us now, the Dunhuang fragments,
and the versions extant in the printed editions of the Tripitakas. I shall
also offer some conjectures on the reasons and motivation behind the emendation
of the text. In my opinion, the latter aspect may have been deeply connected
with the materials employed by Xuanzang at the time of drafting his Da
Tang xi yu ji. This is also bound to have more or less influence on how
we should assess the value of the text as a historical document.
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