紅巾考 : 中國に於ける民閒武装集團の傳統

Abstract

The Red Turbans are most famous for their role in the rebellions at the end of the Yuan. The custom of wearing red turbans among popular armed groups in China, however, had a longstanding tradition which had continued until the modern times. As the late Shigematsu Toshiaki 重松俊章 had pointed out, the Red Turbans had their origin at the time when the Northern Sung fell. Faced with the advancing Chin 金 troops, popular armed groups with the aim of self defence sprang up in various parts of Northern China. Red being the colour symbolizing the Sung dynasty, some of these groups had their members wear red turbans or tunics, or flied the red banner in order to show their resistance. Since then, throughout the Yuan, Ming, Ch'ing and the Republic, the red turban came to be adopted as a symbol of national resistance among various popular armed groups. Even the Water Margin, the bible of rebels, reveals the influence of the Red Turbans. Some of the characters, for example, are wearing the red turban ; the Mount T'ai-hang 太行山, their base, too was originally a base of anti-Chin guerrillas. The Red Turbans were so numerous among the rebels against the Yuan dynasty that the rebellions at the end of the Yuan are sometimes being dubbed as the Rebellion of Red Turbans. Rebels of the later times e.g., Hsu Hung-ju 徐鴻儒, the T'ien-ti hui 天地會, the T'ai-p'ing t'ien-kuo 太平天国, and the Hung-ch'iang hui 紅槍會, too often refer to the Red Turbans. It can also be said that such tradition is continuing even today, as shown in the attitude to equate the Red Army with the revolutionary army.