17th Century's Japanese Inscriptions in Cambodia
2 Comments Published by seserak on Friday, November 04, 2005 at 8:16 PM.
I just came across this site .Cambodia-travel while searching for articles on Post-Angkor Era. Was surprised to learn that there were Japanese settlers in the Angkor city in the 17th century
Moreover, in the 17th century there were Japanese settlements residing with the Khmer people in the Angkor city, as at least fourteen Japanese inscriptions had been found in the area. One of the most renowned Japanese inscriptions belonged to Ukondafu Kazufusa who had visited the Angkor and celebrated Khmer's New Year there in the year 1632.
I really want to know what the inscriptions are all about. Will check my school's library tomorrow to see if there is any book that contains informations about these inscriptions.
What did you find out about Ukondafu Kazufusa? He has no entry in Wikipedia, though this blog entry is referenced. :-)
Morimoto Ukondayu Kazufusa 森本右近太夫房 (d. 3rd May 1674 at Kyōto) was a member of the Morimoto family who visited in January 1632 the temple of Angkor Vat at Angkor which was at that time estimated by the Japanese as the famous Jetavana garden of the Buddha. There were altogetjer 14 inscriptions left by Japanese pilgrims between 1612 and 1632 CE. The merchant-pilgrims belonged to the Japanese cities of Higo 肥後, Hizen 肥前国, Hirado平戸 and Nagasaki 長崎, but some came also from Sakai 堺 and Ōsaka 大阪 (see Ishizawa, Yoshiaki: «Les inscriptions calligraphiques japonaises du XVIIe siècle à Angkor Vat et le plan du Jetavana-vihāra», in: Manuel d’épigraphie du Cambodge. Eds.: Yoshiaki Ishizawa, Claude Jacques, Khin Sok. Avec la collaboration de: Uraisi Varasarin, Michael Vickery, Tatsuro Yamamoto. Vol. I, Paris 2007, pp. 169-179).