戰國時代の都市とその支配

Abstract

Two opposing views exist regarding the development of cities during the Warring States period. One attaches greater importance to economic factors while the other considers political and military factors to be more important. A study, based on recent developments in archeology, of the scale and distribution of the ruins of the cities of that period, has clarified the existence of a regional bias regarding these cities. In the Sanjin 三晉 region, centered on Henan province 河南省, there was a dense concentration of huge cities. Compared with this, the distribution and scale of cities outside the Sanjin region, with the exception of the national capital, were not so great. This kind of trend can be confirmed by reference to historical literature, archeological ideaographic material etc. Furthermore, this kind of regional difference is largely concerned with the nature of cities themselves. In the development of the cities in the Sanjin region, a strong economic element is clearly evident. A remarkable inclination towards independence is also evident. On the contrary, the cities in the outlying regions were, as a rule, less developed and showed a strong tendency towards centralisation of power. There is a need to clarify the character and destiny of the "Warring State" nations and the Chin 秦 and Han 漢 empires based on this kind of difference in the regional character of the cities.