Separating the word and the way: Suyama Nantō’s Chūgi Suikodenkai and Edo-period vernacular philology

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Abstract

This study examines Edo-period interest in the Chinese vernacular novel Suikoden (Ch. Shuihu zhuan). In 1757, Suyama Nantō, a classical scholar from Tosa, published Chūgi Suikodenkai, an annotated guide to the vocabulary of the novel. Although Nantō’s guide can be connected to a larger discourse on linguistic change established by the classical scholar Ogyū Sorai and his Chinese instructor, Okajima Kanzan, the text ultimately rejects their understanding of Sino-Japanese cultural relations in favor of a paradigm rooted in the collection of discrete information about contemporary Chinese material culture that downplayed the ethical and political applications of such information.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)347-371
Number of pages25
JournalJournal of Japanese Studies
Volume41
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Social Psychology
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Linguistics and Language

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