鄭和とムハンマド・チョンホ : 雲南碑文のナゾ

Abstract

Zheng He who navigated the South Sea 600 years ago reincarnated as a political and cultural symbol in the 21st century. There is a stone monument with an inscription in front of Zheng He's father's tomb on the bank of Zhen lake in Yunnan. According to the inscription, He's father and grandfather were considered to be honored as haaju in the Muslim society. There was a change in the sea route to the Mecca pilgrimage in the early 15th century. The number of ships coming to the South China Sea passing the Strait of Malacca from the Indian Sea had reduced from around the late 14th century. It was 1403 when the Ming Dynasty found out its reason. It became clear that Muslim merchants crossing the Indian Sea by ship and those people who were returning from Mecca could not pass through the Straits of Malacca. The mission of Zheng He was to eliminate the non-Muslim power and establish the Muslim community. I had an opportunity to visit the mosque commemorating Zheng He in Surabaya, Indonesia. There is a plaque on which "Masujid Muhammad Cheng Hoo" is written. "Cheng Hoo" means Zheng He. It is written Muhammad because, surname of Zheng He's father was "Ma" and many of the people whose family name is "Ma" are Muslims. "Ma" is said to be based on the transliteration of "Mu" of "Muhammad." This mosque which celebrates the Muslim Zheng He was rebuilt by a Muslim Chinese, Haji, in 2001. At this time, a foundation was established which advocates, "Indonesia-Islam-China-Unity." Furthermore, three-action agenda is put up as "Non-politics, Independence and Social reformation." "Non-politics" refers to that "although there might be several actions towards us Chinese Muslims, we should always keep a neutral stance. "In this agenda, we can read between the lines that between two great state powers such as Indonesia and China, Chinese Muslims living in Indonesia should not be influenced by political intentions and should take balance and maintain neutral, non-political state. I am considering observing how the image of Zheng He of the 15th century will be told in the present 21st century.