春秋後期の楚の「公」について : 戰國封君出現へ向けての一試論

Abstract

Until now, the term "such and such a Duke" (mou-gong 某公), that has appeared in historical materials of the state of Chu in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, has always been taken to mean "District Duke" (xiangong 縣公). However, from an investigation of the dukes Shegong Zigao 葉公子高 and Baigong Sheng 白公勝 it has become clear that after the time of King Ping (Ping Wang 平王) cases appeared where people were called by the title of Duke with the name of their own fief attached. In this essay, I will call these new Dukes "Fief Dukes" (fengyi gong 封邑公) in contrast to those already known as "Official Dukes" (guanyi gong 官邑公) who were District Dukes. These Fief Dukes came to be created as a political measure taken by King Ping, who ascended the throne by a coup d'etat, and even more by his successors in response to the pressing problems of A) the stabilization of the king's power, B) the reestablishment of a system of border defense, and C) the soothing of public opinion calling for protection of the clan system arising in response to the policies of King Ling (Ling Wang 靈王). Not only King Ping but also King Zhao (Zhao Wang 昭王) and King Hui (Hui Wang 惠王) gave land to their close relatives and to children of the royal family along with the economic power that went with it, and then appointed them to important offices. Or else they assigned them to the localities as the managers of those districts. It can be concluded perhaps that the Fief Dukes themselves who appeared after the time of King Ping should be placed at the top of the lineages of the feudal lords 封君 of Chu in the Warring States period, lineages whose genesis has not been clear until now.