南朝貴族制の沒落に關する一考察

Abstract

The author approaches the problem in its economic aspects. As he has already discussed in his article, "The Revolt of Hou Ching 侯景 and the Money Economy in the Southern Dynasties Period" (Toho Gakuho, Kyoto, Vol. 32, 1962), in that period the development of the money economy reached a much higher stage than has heretofore been believed. The economic basis of the aristocracy, which depended upon the productivity of their manors, was destined to decline in the face of their need for cash money. This need forced them to sell agricultural products for money, and, consequently, the nobleman's position was gradually taken over by the merchants as the money economy developed. Simultaneously, the stewards in charge of the aristocrats' manors took advantage of their position to accumulate cash money. In such a situation the traditional aristocracy became more and more dependent upon these stewards and wealthy merchants, so that by the middle of the sixth century after the revolt of Hou Ching, which caused disturbances for a period of about twenty years, the nobles lost the basis of their economic power. With the loss of their economic stability the nobles were forced to disband the large family system, thus losing their dependents, known as ping-ko 賓客, men-sheng 門生, ku-li 故吏 etc. The decline of the nobleman's economic and social influence led to the loss of their political power. In the Ch'en dynasty, which came into existence after the political disturbances, the prestige of the aristocracy depended solely on the cultural traditions which they carried on. The aristocracy, which had originated in the Wei and Chin dynasties of the third century and had continued down to the period of the Southern dynasties, was completely destroyed in the revolt of Hou Ching in the middle of the sixth century.