山人としての杜甫

Abstract

Shanren (山人, mountain people) originally referred to hermits or immortals that live reclusively in mountainous regions, but later its meaning extended to intellectuals who live in urban area, and maintain their livings by being mainly herbalists, charlatans or fortune-tellers, and perform in the gesture of immortals. These Shanren emerged in the Tang dynasty and were flourished in the late Ming period. This paper focuses on the portrayal of herbal medicine in Du Fu's poetry, in particular the possibility that Du Fu maintained his livelihood by being an herbalist after he resigned from the government post in Huazhou 華州. This paper also examines the livelihood of other Shanren who were related to Du Fu, and points out that although neither Du Fu nor others regarded Du as a Shanren, his lifestyle resembled that of Shanren in those days. In conclusion, this paper provides a hypothesis on the circumstances of Du Fu after his resignation.