Wamyō Ruijushō


The Wamyō ruijushō or Wamyō ruijūshō is a 938 CE Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters. The Heian period scholar Minamoto no Shitagō began compilation in 934, at the request of Emperor Daigo's daughter. This Wamyō ruijushō title is abbreviated as Wamyōshō, and has graphic variants of 和名類聚抄 with wa "harmony; Japan" for wa "dwarf; Japan" and 倭名類聚鈔 with shō "copy; summarize" for shō "copy; annotate".
The Wamyō ruijushō is the oldest extant Japanese dictionary organized into semantic headings, analogous to a Western language thesaurus. This ancient lexicographical collation system was developed in Chinese dictionaries like the Erya, Xiao Erya, and Shiming. The Wamyōshō categorizes kanji vocabulary, primarily nouns, into main headings divided into subheadings. For instance, the tenchi heading includes eight semantic divisions like seishuku, un'u, and fūsetsu.
Each dictionary entry gives the Chinese character, sources cited, Chinese pronunciations, definitions, and corresponding Japanese readings. It cites over 290 sources, both Chinese and Japanese.
The Wamyō ruijushō, survives in both a 10-volume edition and a 20-volume edition. The larger one was published in 1617 with a commentary by Nawa Dōen and was used in the Edo period until the 1883 publication of the 10-volume edition annotated by Kariya Ekisai, also known as the Senchū Wamyō ruijushō. The 10-volume edition has 24 main headings divided into a total of 128 subheadings, while the 20-volume version has 32 and 249, respectively. The table below illustrates how words are semantically categorized in the 10-volume edition.
RōmajiKanjiTranslationSubjects
1Tenchi天地Universeconstellations, weather, gods, earth, topography
2Jinrin人倫Humansgender, kinship, family, marriage
3Keitai形体Bodybody parts, sense organs, internal organs
4Shippei疾病Sicknessdiseases, wounds
5Jutsugei術藝Artsmartial arts, fine arts, skills
6Kyosho居處Architecturehouses, walls, doors, roads
7Sensha舟車Vehiclesboats, carts, carriages
8Chinpō珍寶Treasuresprecious metals, jewels
9Fuhaku布帛Textilesembroidery, silks, woven fabrics
10Shōzoku装束Clothinghats, clothes, belts, shoes
11Inshoku飲食Foods and Drinksliquors, beverages, cooked grains, fruits, meats
12Kibei器皿Utensilsobjects of metal, lacquer, wood, tile, and bamboo
13Tōka燈火Illuminationlamps, lights, lighting
14Chōdo調度Things and Suppliesimplements, tools, weapons, utensils, furnishings
15Uzoku羽族Birdsbirds, feathers, ornithology
16Mōgun毛群Wild Animalswild animals, body parts
17Gyūsha牛馬Domestic Animalscattle, horses, sheep, body parts, diseases
18Ryōgo龍魚Aquatic animalsdragons, fish, reptiles, amphibians
19Kibai龜貝Shellfishesturtles, shellfish
20Chūchi蟲豸Miscellaneous Animalsinsects, worms, small reptiles
21Tōkoku稲穀Grainsrices, cereals
22Saiso菜蔬Vegetablestubers, seaweeds, edible plants
23Kayu果蓏Fruitsfruits, melons
24Sōmoku草木Plantsgrasses, mosses, vines, flowers, trees

The broadly inclusive Wamyō ruijushō dictionary was an antecedent for Japanese encyclopedias. In the present day, it provides linguists and historians with an invaluable record of the Japanese language over a thousand years ago. For more details, see Bailey in English and Okimori in Japanese.