<論説>"義役" : 南宋期における社会的結合の一形態

Abstract

従来、南宋期の義役は主に農民自治的共同組織あるいは地主支配の手段として理解されてきた。しかし、その理解では義役の動態を整合的に捉えられない。そこで、弊害と解体および結成過程の分析、ならびに台州黄巌県内のケース・スタディをもとに改めて結合形態の特質と動態把握を試みた結果、小論ではおよそ次のことが明らかになる。義役は、在野の読書人層の率先的諸活動、または州県官の関与が起点となって結成され、その後、管理統率に当った読書人層の自発的な献身的活動を通して維持されていく。つまり、義役は自律的な団体的結合ではなく、結成・維持とも農民たちが中核となる存在に依存し結集する形で実現した結合であり、その脆弱性もかかる結合形態自体に起因していた。また、これに対し、州県官の介入を通して極力他律的に運営されるシステムを組織する義役改革が各地で試みられていくが、結合形態に起因する脆弱性は十分置払拭し得なかった。

It has been conventionally considered that yi-yi in the Southern Song dynasty was either a form of rural self-government for the peasants or an instrument for the ruling structure of the landlords. However such views have not been able to explain the dynamics of the yi-yi system consistently. Through a general analysis of the formation and dissolution of yi-yi and an examination of one specific case in Huang-yan xian in Tai zhou, this article tries to clarify the peculiarities of the yi-yi as a form of social organization. Crucial for the founding of yi-yi were intiatives taken by local intellectuals who were not in office or participation by prefectural and county officials. After their founding, yi-yi were managed and maintained through the voluntary activity of devoted intellectuals. Thus yi-yi were not autonomous organizations of peasants but rather were highly depended on influential individuals for their organization and operation. Furthermore their weakness derived from this means of organization, and in order to overcome this weakness external management had to be introduced in some locales through the intervention of prefectural and county officials. However, these reforms of the yi-yi did not always succeed.