『昭和天皇実録』はどのような記録か—編修の概要とその内容について—

On August 21st, 2014, after 24 years of editorial work, the completed Shōwa tennō jitsuroku (The Chronicle of Emperor Shōwa) was presented to the Emperor and the Empress. Shortly after, the chronicle was prepared for publication and its consecutive volumes are now successively being introduced to readers in print. The material is extensive; spread over 60 volumes of traditional Japanese books – the form it was presented in to the Emperor and the Empress – or, for printing purposes, over 18 volumes of 900 pages each. The volume is 1.5 times bigger than the Meiji tennōki (The Record of Emperor Meiji). In the annals, the events of the life of Emperor Shōwa, with accompanying information, are recorded in chronological order form the Emperor’s birth on April 29th, 1901, to his death on January 7th, 1989. It is most likely the most detailed record of the life of a monarch, and a common man at the same time, ever written. There was no modern history specialist working at the Imperial Household Agency when the decision was made to publish Shōwa tennō jitsuroku, so I was hired in that capacity. I took part in the editorial work until its completion, now I am involved with publication of the annals. It has been the greatest pleasure and honor for me to be part of this endeavor. In the article I want to share my personal experiences and present certain paragraphs from Shōwa tennō jitsuroku to show the character of the chronicle, how it was edited, what exactly is depicted in its records, and how to use it as a source. It is my wish for foreign researchers, starting with those in Poland, to use the Shōwa tennō jitsuroku in their research on Japan.