Vol 1, No 1 (2015)
- Year: 2015
- Articles: 13
- URL: https://journals.eco-vector.com/2410-0145/issue/view/1407
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/wmo.11
Articles
A Dunhuang Document on the Division of Property from the Serindia Fund of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of a document on the division of property- SI O14 (1) from the Serindian Fund of the IOM RAS which, despite its fragmentary nature, provides information of a legal and social character relating to everyday life in a district centre on the borders of the mediaeval Chinese Empire. The document reflects the legal practice in China under the Tang dynasty.



Fragments of the Old Uighur Maitrisimit nom bitig in St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Berlin
Abstract
The author examines some small Old Uighur fragments belonging to three collections of Turfan texts that provide parallels to passages of the extant full versions of the Maitrisimit nom bitig, an important Buddhist text on the coming of the future Buddha Maitreya known only from Tocharian and its Old Uighur translation.



Pahlavi Epistolary Formulae
Abstract
The paper focuses on the Pahlavi text dealing with the correct way to write letters published in: JAMASP-ASANA (ed.) 1913, 132-140. The text contains a series of formulae to be used in letters to various persons. The reading and interpretation of the formulae were translated differently by previous scholars. The key to the understanding of these formulae is the opposition of two terms-xwadāy and bandag-meaning the addressee and the sender of a letter. The constructions with an attribute compound and its synonym, and a determinative compound and its synonym following these two terms refer to the addressee and the sender respectively.



The Zoroastrian Manuscript in the Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS (Short Reference and Structure)
Abstract
The article introduces unique Persian manuscripts in the collection of the IOM, RAS specially devoted to Zoroastrian matters. In short Zoroastrian scriptures composed in New Persian during the 12th-17th centuries, were not literal translations from the Pahlavi, but free interpretations of the old sources, adapted to the changing circumstances of life.



The Exegesis of Kṣemarāja on the Vijñānabhairava-tantra: Observations on the Śiva-Devī Tantric Dialogue
Abstract
The paper presents some observations on the nature of the Devī-Śiva dialogue in the famous Vijñānabhairava-tantra based on the interpretation of it given by K ùemarāja in the extant portion of his Uddyota commentary on the text, especially in the initial passages of that commentary. K ùemarāja interprets the traditional tantric dialogical form as a mystery of Parā, the Supreme Speech-Goddess, in which She generates the process of ‘bringing down’ the sacred text-the tantra-thus embodying the highest truth about the Supreme. The paper contains translations of some important places in K ùemarāja’s commentary that have not been thoroughly studied yet.



Tangut Documents from Khara-Khoto concerning Loans of Grain (Translated and Edited by Kirill Solonin)
Abstract
Three documents presented in this paper are devoted to the borrowing of grain in the spring and its repayment in the summer. The interest rate of the loans was 50%; under the terms, if the loan was not returned in time the amount to be repaid doubled. The Tangut documents display a similarity to the loan regulations known from the Dunhuang area. Under Tibetan rule, the loans were interest free, but in the event of failure to repay the total amount of the loan doubled. The Chinese documents from Dunhuang indicate that the interest rate on grain loans was 50%.



The First Mongolian Manuscript in Germany Reconsidered
Abstract



A Manchu-Mongolian Diploma Given to the Wife of a Mongolian Nobleman
Abstract



Omins in Celestial Phenomena. On a Manchu Manuscript
Abstract



New Acquisition of the Japanese Manuscript and Wood-block Printed Books Collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, RAS
Abstract
The article deals with a new acquisition of the Japanese collection of the IOM. The newly acquired manuscript is titled Roshia koku hymin goran mondō (“Questions and Answers about Russia of the Castaways”). It has 28 folios, 2 illustrations, the last two folios contain an extract from the “Illustrated Japanese-Chinese Encyclopedia of Three Elements” and a world map from the same encyclopedia. Analysis of the manuscript enabled us to conclude that it is a copy of a transcript of the interrogation of the famous Daikokyua Kōdayū (1751-1828) and Isokichi after their return to Japan from Russia. As the manuscript has no colophon, neither the date when the transcript was copied, nor the place or the name of the copyist is known. Though the copy of the transcript is not a rarity, this manuscript will be a valuable addition to the group of manuscripts relating to early contacts between Russia and Japan.











