「風聞」の世界 : 六朝における世論と體制

Abstract

In this article, l consider the accusations reported to the emperor 奏彈 by the Censorate 御史臺 on the basis of rumors 風聞 during the period of the Six Dynasties, and in light of these considerations, l further assess the characteristics of the politicalsystem and social order of the time and differences between the North and the South regarding these factors. It has been confirmed that this manner of collecting rumors first appeared as a method of inspecting local administrators at the start of the Eastern Jin, and the rumor collection that served as the basis of the Censorate's accusations made to the emperor clearly existed at the close of the Eastern Jin and was thereafter carried out through the Song, Qi, and Liang. Accusations based on such rumors later became a format of Censorate accusation from which the names of plaintiffs 訴人were erased, but at this time their character was rather as a pretense for the accusations and concealing the names of plaintiffs. This meant that it was possible for accusations to the throne to be made without solid evidence, and also that the authority of the Censorate was being expanded. However, there was another aspect to the accusations based on rumor. Rumors were a form of criticism of moral or ethical shortcomings, and accusations based on rumor were principally used in the southern dynasties against scholars. And in the northern dynasties, a similar system was carried out during the later half of the Northern Wei, but there it was frequently called feng-xiang 風響, the objects were local administrators, and the content of the feng-xiang chiefly concerned official duties and work ethic. This manner of policing local administrators had originated at the close of the Later Han, but saw no further development during the Eastern Jin, and was chiefly carried out during the Northern Wei. This type of difference indicates that the collection and use of rumors existed in the southern dynasties as a method of surveillance to maintain social discipline between scholars and commoners and in the northern dynasties as a method of managing the functional operation of the bureaucracy, and at the same time, in both North and South, it was applied as an appropriate means to suit the political issues of the day.