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The , commonly called the ''Shinmeikai'' or affectionately the , is a popular Japanese dictionary published by Sanseido. They also publish the analogous ''Sanseido Kokugo Jiten'' dictionary, a lexicographical sister that shares several of the same editors. This Japanese language reference work has frequently undergone revisions and republications. The first two editions were called the , and the six subsequent ones were published under the current ''Shin'' "New" name. *1943, 1st edition ''Meikai kokugo jiten'' *1952, 2nd edition ''Meikai kokugo jiten'' *1972, 1st edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' *1974, 2nd edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' *1981, 3rd edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' *1989, 4th edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' *1997, 5th edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' *2005, 6th edition ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' The chief editors of the early versions were Kindaichi Kyōsuke (1882-1971), Kindaichi Haruhiko (1913-2004), Kenbō Hidetoshi (見坊 豪紀, 1914-1992), and most notably Yamada Tadao (山田 忠雄, 1916-1996). The 6th edition, which contains some 76,500 entries, still lists Yamada as chief editor, but was edited by Shibata Takeshi (柴田武) and Sakai Kenji (酒井憲二). The ''Shinmeikai kokugo jiten'' is one of the most popular dictionaries among high-school students. According to Sanseido, all the editions have collectively sold over 19,500,000 copies. Following the death of Yamada Tadao, the ''Shin meikai kokugo jiten'' acquired a certain notoriety in Japan after the publication of the humorous bestsellers by Akasegawa Genpei (1996, "Mysteries of the ''Shinkai-san''") and Suzuki Makiko (1998, "How to read the ''Shinkai-san''"). They revealed the idiosyncratic nature of many dictionary definitions written by Yamada. In addition to providing a general definition of a word, this editor sometimes added personal commentaries reflecting his experience and philosophy, making the otherwise bland definitions an enjoyable and at times philosophical reading. For example, compare these definitions of ''ren'ai'' (恋愛 "love") in a common dictionary and the ''Shinmeikai'':
"This is probably the best-selling and most well known of the smaller ''kokugo'' dictionaries," writes Gally (1999), "though its fame rests less on its authority than on the quirkiness of its definitions." Based upon Yamada's definitions, Gally describes him as "a misogynist cynic who enjoyed eating fish (many of the definitions of fish names identify the particular fish as tasty, an opinion that may not be shared by all)." ==References== *Akasegawa Genpei 赤瀬川原平, (1996), ''Shinkai-san no Nazo'' 新解さんの謎 ("Mysteries of the ''Shinkai-san''), Bungei Shunju 文藝春秋, ISBN 4-16-351790-1. *Gally, Tom, (1999), (Kokugo Dictionaries 国語辞書 ), review article. *Suzuki Makiko 鈴木眞紀子, (1998), ''Shinkai-san no Yomikata'' 新解さんの読み方 ("How to read the ''Shinkai-san''"). Ritoru Moa リトル・モア, ISBN 4-947648-69-4. *The Japan Forum, (2005), (The Japanese Language Boom: Renewed appreciation for the beauty and pleasure of the language ), ''Takarabako'' 4. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shin Meikai kokugo jiten」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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