清代水手結社の性格について

Abstract

In the Ch'ing period a number of fraternities or secret societies sprang up, but almost all of them may be classified into two categories; those for religious or personal purposes and those for serving the benefit of a particular society. For example, most of the Lo-chiao (羅教) fraternities in the middle China after the middle of the Ch'ing dynasty belong to the former group, while the Boatman's Fraternity to the latter. The Boatman's Fraternity developed much different phases from those of the Lo-chiao societies. Why? The answer will be found in the boatman's impoverished economic conditions. They came from those peasants who had been derived of their lands, and their wages were extremely low. With a view to consolidating themselves they were forced to form a strong organization for defending themselves and improving their own economic conditions. Under such circumstances the Boatman's Fraternity developed itself into a strong religious-professional secret society.