Une traduction des fragments du Recueil thématique des enseignements privés Kibi no Makibi 吉備真備 (693–775)

This paper sheds light on a little-known text written by a very well-known figure, Kibi no Makibi (693–775). During the Nara Period (710–794) and with the advent of kentôshi, the Japanese embassies to the Tang, he went to China twice (717–735 and 752–753), first as a student, then as a vice-ambassador. Kibi no Makibi is presumably responsible for bringing back a vast amount of Chinese books to Japan and his influence in shaping the burgeoning Imperial University (Daigakuryô) makes him one of the most important intellectual figures of his time. The examined text, the fragmentary Shikyô-ruijû (Private Teachings Arranged by Topic) written in kanbun (literary sinitic), is the longest extant text by its author, and it is translated and annotated here with a critical discussion regarding its authenticity. It has not received much scholarly attention, although it is probably one of the first texts on education in the history of Japan and the first to-date instance of the genre of « house teachings » (kakun).