Page:A History of Japanese Literature (Aston).djvu/142

126 style of dressing the hair, accession to the throne and death of each sovereign, are set down baldly in a page or two. Then follow one or two sentimental or humorous anecdotes, adorned as usual with Tanka. There is little more. In the next six volumes we find biographies of the principal statesmen during the same period. This part of the work is somewhat more substantial, but there is still a marked inclination towards the anecdotal and romantic treatment of the subject. The last volume is an excursus on the origin of certain festivals at the shrines of Kamo and Hachiman.

The Ō-Kagami throws but little light on the times of which it professes to give the history, but it may perhaps be acceptable as an addition to the information supplied us by the drier official histories in the Chinese language.

This work, with the Masa-Kagami and the Midzu-Kagami (to be noticed afterwards), are known as the Mitsu-Kagami or "Three Mirrors." Mirror, it may be explained, is a familiar metaphor for history, not only in Japan, but in China and Corea.

Before closing this chapter, one or two works in the Chinese language require to be mentioned.

The Shōjiroku is a sort of peerage. It was prepared A.D. 815, and contains the genealogy of 1182 noble families of Japan. It has no value as literature, but is useful for historical reference, and has one interesting feature—it shows that at this period about one-third of the Japanese nobility claimed to be descended from Chinese or Corean ancestors.

The Yengishiki, or "Institutes of the Period Yengi" (901–923), was completed in 927. The first two volumes contain minute directions for the celebration of the Shinto rites of worship, including the Norito or