Talk:Anthology of the Patriarchal Hall

Sentence on rediscovery by Japanese scholars
This is a comment on the statement “[The Anthology] was rediscovered by Japanese scholars in the 20th century at the Haeinsa temple in Korea”

The Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa was the subject of a string of diplomatic engagements by the Joseon dynasty and the different governments of Japan since the 14th century. The fact that Japan made various attempts to acquire the woodblocks throughout the entire history of the Joseon dynasty and was repeatedly refused would suggest that both sides saw the texts as valuable.

For an overview of the historical incidents that indicate the value that the Joseon dynasty placed on the Tripitaka I would refer to [Park, Sang-jin, trans. Kim, Jihyun, Under the Microscope: The Secrets of the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks, Cambridge University Press 2013 edition pages 6-12] which lists some events from the 14th to 15th centuries, along with a related discussion published by a Joseon court official in the late 18th century.

Regardless of the biases that modern commentators may have about the issue, what has been cited above only involves events documented by primary sources such as the Veritable Annals of the Joseon Dynasty that put the claim that the Tripitaka was ‘rediscovered’ by the Japanese in the 20th century into doubt. Even if one were to ignore Korean perspectives on the matter, there needs to be an accounting for the fact that the Japanese were aware of its existence well before then. There would also need to be a claim that people in the Joseon dynasty were not aware of the contents of the Tripitaka, and the existence of the Anthology in particular, to state there was a rediscovery of any kind.

One can alternatively state “the contents of the Anthology was made known to a Western audience by Japanese scholars in the 20th …” etc.

Jlhww (talk) 06:31, 18 October 2023 (UTC)