From Gōdanshō 江談抄, an early 12th-century collection of court etiquette and lore, Chinese poetry, supernatural tales, and so on, dictated by the prominent Japanese Confucian scholar and courtier Ōe no Masafusa 大江匡房:
被命云、倩案物情、云官爵云福禄、皆以文道之徳所経也．何況才芸名誉殆過於中古之人所思給也．雖以自讃又非無謂．於寿命者及七十事、近代之難有之事也．非短寿之類．顔回至聖僅三十歟．仍世間事全無所思シ．
Masafusa said, “When I reflect on my current position, I realize that all things—rank, happiness, and so on—come from my adherence to learning. I feel it is only natural that my abilities, techniques, and reputation are superior to those of the preceding centuries. It may sound like I am boasting about myself, but it is not as though I have no reason not to. Reaching the age of 70 is a rare accomplishment these days, although the short life is perfectly fine. After all Yan Hui, a man of unparalleled wisdom and virtue, lived only to the age of 30. So there is really nothing in this world that troubles me.
The collection, probably recorded by Fujiwara no Sanekane, is written in a form of hentai kambun similar to that used in courtier diaries (kambun nikki) that were produced from the 10th century on.
