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Gukanshō
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gukanshō (愚管抄, lit. "Jottings of a Fool") is a historical and literary work about the history of Japan. Seven volumes in length, it was composed by Buddhist priest Jien of the Tendai sect around 1220.[1]
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Political problems arising from the relations between the Imperial government and the bakufu inspired Jien to write.[2] Jien was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, and his insider's perspective ensured that his work would have a distinct point of view. Rather than working towards an absence of bias, he embraced it; and Gukanshō is fairly described as a work of historical argument.[3] The writer does try to approach Japan's past in a new way, but he does so under the influences of old historical and genealogical interests.[4]