写本

• Reading: しゃほん
• Romaji: shahon
• Kanji breakdown: 写 (sha) — copy, transcribe; 本 (hon) — book, text
• Pronunciation: /ɕa.ho.ɴ/

Meaning

Manuscript; hand-copied book; a text reproduced by scribes before the age of printing.

Distinguished from 刊本 (printed edition) in classical and medieval studies. In Japan, 写本 were produced extensively by Buddhist monks, aristocrats, and scholars. Textual variants between manuscripts are a central concern of classical Japanese literary scholarship, known as 本文研究 (textual criticism).

Examples

1. その写本は平安時代に書き写されたとされ、源氏物語の重要な資料である。 This manuscript is believed to have been copied during the Heian period and is an important source for the Tale of Genji.
2. 写本と刊本を照合することで、テキストの変遷をたどることができる。 By comparing manuscripts with printed editions, one can trace the evolution of a text.
3. 希少な写本の解読に、研究者たちは長年を費やした。 Scholars spent many years deciphering the rare manuscript.

Usage Guide

Context: classical literature, manuscript studies, historical research

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 写 (sha, copy/transcribe) and 本 (hon, book/text). The act of 写す (utsusu, to copy) was central to preserving classical texts in manuscript culture before woodblock printing spread widely in the Edo period.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient–Premodern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Scholars