Tokugawa reiten roku

• Date: 1881
• Authors: Date Munenari, Matsudaira Shungaku, Ikeda Mochimasa
• Japanese: 徳川禮典録 (Tokugawa rei ten roku)

The Tokugawa reiten roku is a compilation of records of Tokugawa shogunate ritual protocol, compiled by Date Munenari, Matsudaira Shungaku (Yoshinaga), and Ikeda Mochimasa on the orders of the Meiji Emperor (as suggested by Iwakura Tomomi).

The compilation was originally assembled as Mino-ban size books, traditionally bound, in 39 volumes. The idea was originally proposed in 1878/1, and after its compilation was officially ordered by the Meiji Emperor on 1878/4/5, the project was completed in 1881/5, and presented to the Emperor by way of Iwakura in 1881/12.

The reiten roku includes twelve volumes on annual ceremonies (nenjû gyôji) of the shogunate, and twenty six volumes of additional ritual records, including records of the ritual details of Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and Iemitsu's journey to Kyoto in 1634, the 1858 accession ceremonies of Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi, the 1862 wedding of Princess Kazu-no-Miya, shogunal trips to Nikkô Tôshôgû, hunting trips to Koganehara Hunting Grounds, and the reception of Korean and Ryukyuan embassies to Edo. It also includes some materials on ranks & titles of shogunal officials, and the Ôoku, as well as a number of maps of the interior of the honmaru palace at Edo castle, the Koganehara Hunting Grounds, and shogunal archery range.

Work began in 1940, on the 50th anniversary of Shungaku's death, to have the compilation published and made publicly available in conjunction with the publication of the first volume of Complete Works of Matsudaira Shungaku (Matsudaira Shungaku zenshû dai-ikkan) around the same time. Shungaku's son Marquis Tokugawa Yoshichika played a prominent role in seeing it published, and wrote a brief preface. Marquis Matsudaira Yasumasa and Ikeda Nobumasa were also significant in their support of the project. The 1942 version is printed in modern moveable type, in three volumes. It was reissued again in 1982.

References

• Fukai Masaumi, "Tokugawa reiten roku," Kokushi daijiten 国史大辞典, Yoshikawa kobunkan.
• Tokugawa Reiten Roku 徳川禮典録, vol 1., Tokyo: Owari Tokugawa Reimeikai (1942), 1-2.