モンゴル時代のチベットにおける都元帥

Abstract

In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mongol Empire introduced administrative organisations and government posts into Tibet. The official titles in Tibet in this age were well researched, however, researchers paid attention mainly to the title of "dpon chen, " which was held by secular chiefs of the Sa skya pa sect. On the other hand, Chinese historical record Yuan shi (『元史』) shows that the administrative office of the Central Tibet was called Xuan wei shi si dou yuan shuai fu (宣慰使司都元帥府) , whereas the chief of this office was Xuan wei shi (宣慰使) . The question is whether or not dpon chen and Xuan wei shi referred to the same position. This article examines another official title du dben shwa, which is derived from Chinese 都元帥 and frequently appears in rlang kyi po ti bse ru (RP) written in the mid-14th century. Firstly, the expression "du dben shwa belongs to the swon wi si" can be found in RP; this indicates that the swon wi si, also derived from Chinese is the name of the administrative organization 宣慰司, and not the name of the post 宣慰使. Secondly, examination of the RP revealed that there were at most four du dben shwa at the same time, and the position of du dben shwa was lower than dpon chen. The Yuan shi records the quota of Xuan wei shi as five. This article concludes that the chief of the Xuan wei si was dpon chen, however, dpon chen and four du dben shwa were all called Xuan wei shi in the Chinese sources. Some instances prove that one family produced some dpon chen and some du dben shwa, and such families kept large estates. Hence, such families can be considered as ruling families of the Central Tibet in that period.