Xinxiu yingjing or Shinshū yōkyō? Preliminary Considerations on the Origin of the ‘New revised Goshawk Canon’

According to previous research, the first texts on falconry in China date back to the Medieval period. However, it is believed that other texts existed before but are now lost, as evidenced in quotations from a ‘Goshawk Canon’ (Ying jing 鷹經) during the Han period; a later edition of this book could be a manuscript stored in Japan, Shinshū yōkyō 新修鷹經 or in Chinese, Xinxiu yingjing, ‘New revised Goshawk Canon’. The most common interpretation today on the origin of this manuscript attributes it to the emperor Saga (Saga tennō 嵯峨天皇, 786–842). The Shinshū yōkyō was allegedly composed in 818, however, indications on the origin of the Shinshū yōkyō are still today extremely discordant. The hypothesis is that this manuscript may have been partially copied, or inspired by, an original Han dynasty copy during the Tang dynasty. In the article, the authors first present the contents and structure of the Shinshū yōkyō, with the relevant background of related knowledge on falconry. Secondly, through an analysis of the sources indicated in Japanese and Western secondary literature, the authors expand on the primary and secondary sources presented, pointing out possible further research perspectives to locate the text Shinshū yōkyō is based on. The article concludes that, even though the Shinshū yōkyō should be considered as having originated in Japan, there are indications it might be tightly connected to lost Chinese texts, or other documents quoting and reporting such missing works. The information presented in the article clarifies these hypotheses and indicates new perspectives of research on the Shinshū yōkyō.