侯继高及其《日本风土记》

HOU Ji-gao and his Notes from Japan

明朝嘉靖、万历时期人侯继高,世袭指挥同知,历任把总、副总兵、总兵、都督佥事等官职,先后镇守广东、浙江等地。侯继高在任职期间,除了履行其巩固边防、防倭抗倭将领的职责之外,还积极笔耕,写下了《游补陀洛迦山记》、《补陀山志》、《全浙兵制考》和《日本风土记》等著作。其中《日本风土记》以五卷的篇幅,较为详细地记述了日本当时的地理环境、政治、经济、语言、文学、风俗、人情、爱好等方面,内容极为丰富,是今人了解和研究明朝人认知日本程度的颇有价值的文献。

HOU Ji-gao, a general during the reign of Jiajing and Wanli （1522-1619）, was a diligent writer apart from his work of defending the frontiers in Guangdong and Zhejiang Provinces. Among the many books he wrote, Notes from Japan is of particular value in understanding the Japanese society of the 16th century. The present paper investigates the book＇s exhaustive description of the Japanese geography, politics, culture, economy, language and literature, customs and predilections, etc.