Kyō-ō Gokokuji Documents

The Kyō-ō Gokokuji Documents (monjo) were discovered by Toshihide Akamatsu in the treasure house of Toji Temple in 1937. After the war, Kyoto University borrowed, organized and transcribed them. In 1968, they were given to Kyoto University. In 1971, these documents designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The collection consists of 3043 documents that date from the Heian period (794-1185) through the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600). The records mostly deal with temple affairs, be they estates (shōen) managed by the temple, internal temple organization, or documents known as kaijō (廻請) that were circulated among monks during Buddhist rites. In addition, account statements concerning annual estate taxes (sanyōjō 算用状) exist. The documents are thought to have originally been part of the Tōji collection, known as the Tōji Hyakugō monjo (東寺百合文書). Together, they are extremely valuable sources for the study of ancient and medieval Japanese history.