北朝末-五代の義兄弟結合について

Abstract

Under which personal bonds did the people of China live in the transition period while the process of dissolution of the aristocratic system was taking place? The artificial father-son bond which often appears in the periods of the Sui 隋, T'ang 唐and the Five Dynasties (Wu-tai 五代) is one clue which throws light on this problem, but one should also consider the sworn bonds of mutual brotherhood (i-hsiung-ti 義兄弟), another type of artificial family bond. This article gives some examples of sworn brotherhood bonds during the period from the Northern Dynasties (Pei-ch'ao 北朝) to the Five Dynasties, and examines their historical meaning. These examples can be classified on the basis of the underlying motives for the creation of the bonds, roughly into the following three groups : (i) those concluded between representatives of the state and of the prevailing political power to cement political alliances with each other, (ii) those concluded with the aim of gaining the social reputation or political influence which the other possessed, and (iii) those concluded on the basis of sentiments of solidarity, mainly depending on personal character ; stemming from obligation, respect or friendship. These bonds of brotherhood are all phenomena which appeared as the aristocratic society that held blood relationships in esteem collapsed. Firstly, bonds of type (i) were concluded between the military powers which were formed within the country, and the united nomadic states etc. which appeared outside the frontiers. Bonds of group (ii) are phenomena of a time during which the aristocratic class could no longer monopolize political power but still possessed social reputation. Finally, bonds of type (iii) were concluded particularly between military figures and ordinary people, including some cases where they formed societies which were politically active. They were also the forerunners of the gangster groups and secret societies which became prominent after the Sung 宋 period. In the bonds of sworn brotherhood (as in the case of the artificial father-son relationship), the "family" relationships were extended to include all relatives of the persons concerned. The bonds are illustrative, in a concrete way, of the popular society which formed as the exclusive character of the aristocratic society broke down.