Kumogakure Rokujo is a tale that supplements The Tale of Genji. The circumstances of the succession of this tale remain largely unknown. This paper reports on a newly emerged manuscript of the tale that has been added to the collection of Hiroshima University.
Unlike other previously known manuscripts, the manuscript owned by Hiroshima University has been copied together with other works. Since the manuscript consists of three works, Darumaki, Kumogakure Rokujo, and Akahataka, it is possible to delve into one example of how Kumogakure Rokujo was recognized by exploring the characteristics of Darumaki and Akahataka. For this reason, this paper presents an outline and reprinting of the Darumaki with a view to providing support for future research on the Kumogakure Rokujo.
It is now clear that Darumaki is the same work as Shotoku Taishi no Honji, of which only one copy has been known in preceding studies, and that two other similar copies of Darumaki exist. In this respect, the manuscript owned by Hiroshima University is quite valuable.