Engi Gishiki (延喜儀式)

Engi Gishiki was one of Gishiki (Court rule and customs Books) considered to be compiled during the Engi era at the beginning of the Heian period.

It was commonly accepted that Engi Gishiki was compiled in parallel with Engi Kyakushiki during the Engi era -- According to "Honcho hoke mokuroku monjo" (Catalogue of legalist documents in our country) and "Honcho shoseki mokuroku" (Catalogue of books in our country), Engi Gishiki and Engi Kyakushiki were in ten volumes respectively and ninety items were listed for the former; and such documents as "Hokuzansho" (Manual of court rules and customs), "Goke shidai" (Ritual Compendium by the House of Oe), and "Chuyuki" (The Diary of the Minister of the Right, written by Munetada FUJIWARA) recorded the parts which was considered to be a surviving fragment of the former; and "Kanju hisho" (also referred to as Kanzu hisho; Secret Notes by Head Chamberlain) written by FUJIWARA no Toshinori recommended the former as a must for Shikiji (Chamberlains).

Yet, from the fact that there were no records to prove that "Engi Gishiki" was practically used in formalities at the imperial court, that its surviving fragment first appeared in "Hokuzansho" which was written more than one hundred years after the Engi era, and that it only appeared in documents during the period under the rule of Cloistered Emperors, some said that Engi Gishiki was compiled in the Engi era, but just as a partial improvement of "Jogan Gishiki" ("Gishiki"), some said that it was completed, but did not come into use, some said that it was not completed, and some said that it was not compiled during the Engi era, but records on the formalities in the Engi era established until the eleventh century were considered to be Gishiki.

The only thing apparent at present was the Gishiki (Book) called "Engi Gishiki" during the late Heian period which might have been compiled or the contents of which might have originated during the Engi era and were highly regarded as authority.

[Original Japanese]