Old Anrakuji Temple, which belongs to the jōdoshinsyu Honganji Sect of Buddhism, is located in Ushita Honmachi, Higashi Ward, Hiroshima. The Temple owns several books printed from woodblocks, and books copied from the Edo period that fortunately survived the devastation caused by the atomic bomb. Through the generosity of the superior of the temple, Kōji Toyooka, I had an opportunity to examine these documents. As a result, I discovered one Kakuhitsu document (Kachū Myōhōrengekyō, 1886 Version).
The Kakuhitsu document not only includes readings and notes on words and phrases using Kakuhitsu, but also includes personal memoranda and Japanese poems in the upper part of the document.
This paper describes my attempts to decode and analyze the Japanese poems and personal memoranda in the Kakuhitsu document. During my examination, I discovered some examples where, during the Edo period, the pronunciation of “shi” was confused with the pronunciation of “hi”.
I have included a lost of the valuable documents kept at Anrakuji, including many held by the ninth learned priest, Gyokushin (1745-1814). These documents hold promise for future research.