<論説>戦国時代の重量単位

Abstract

従来、中国戦国時代の重量制度は甚だ複雑なものであったとされる。中でも鋝・鍰の単位重量については早く後漢時代に諸説があり、混乱が生じてゐる。筆者は戦国時代の遺物、銘文の資料を利用して鋝と鍰に関する古今の諸説を整理して誤りを正し、同様遺物の証拠によつて鎰・釿の単位を確かめ、また漢代に鋝・鍰と混同されて説かれてゐる環・鈞の単位の存在を明かにした。更に湖南省長沙出土の戦国時代分銅にならつて各重量制度に使はれた分銅を復原して附表の形にまとめ、戦国時代の重量・分銅制度は前記のもの、それ以外のものも大部分両銖制・鋝鍰制・環鈞制に帰し、それら相互間の換算も容易な状態にあり、重量制の全国的統一の趨勢は最終段階に進んでゐたことを明かにした。

The weight unit system in the Warring States period has been very complicated, among which different opinions about unit weight of Lüeh 鋝 and Huan 鍰 should be found as early as the Eastern Han 後漢 era, being in confusion. This article shall explain to correct mistakes by arranging many theories of all ages about Lüeh and Huan thanks to the resources of remains and inscriptions in the Warring States period to confirm the unit of I 鎰, Chin 釿 units through the same remains and to clarify the existence of the unit of Huan-Chün 環・鈞 confused with Lüeh and Huan in the Han dynasty; and to restore and make a supplement list of balance weights used in each weight system after the balance weight in the Warring States period from Changsha Hunan Province. The weight and balance weight system in the Warring States period shall be explained with the assumptson that the above-mentioned and others largely came to the systems of Liang-shu 両・銖, Lüeh and Huan and Huan and Chün 環・鈞, were in an easy condition of conversion in each other, and had been in the last stage of the unification trend of the weight system in the whole country.