Description
The fifty-volume Gunsho chiyo, or Qunshu zhiyao in Chinese, which translates as “Digest on Statecraft,” was compiled in China in 631 on the orders of Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty. A crucial work for understanding Chinese political thought during that period, it was also read and revered within courtly circles in Japan from the early Heian period, which lasted from 794 to 1192. The handscrolls are made of paper dyed in purple, light blue, and brown hues. The paper is ruled with gold guidelines. Several people worked together to copy the text, which is marked by the gentle elegance of its regular, square-style Chinese characters. The text also features annotations and grammatical aids for reading the Chinese, thus making it a valuable historical source for language study. It is unusual for Chinese works to be copied out on colorful Japanese-style paper in this manner, yet the lush coloring and graceful Chinese script create a marvelous harmony that epitomizes the beauty of Heian-period calligraphy.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026