<論説>訟師秘本『蕭曹遺筆』の出現

Abstract

中国明末以降の民間社会では、訴訟文例や特殊な訴訟用語を載せ、さらに訴訟を請け負うものの注意事項をも記した便利なハンドブックが広く出回っていた。これは、清代乾隆年間に訟師秘本と呼ばれ、禁書とされたものである。『蕭曹遺筆』という名のものは、明代嘉靖の頃に出現したと考えられ、これから万暦の初めにかけて広く流布し始めた。この時代以後、中国が訴訟社会と呼ぶことのできる訴訟件数の極めて多い社会となったのも、『蕭曹遺筆』をはじめとする訟師秘本が大量に出回っていたからである。それらは禁書扱いにされながら、清末まで各種のものが出版された。しかし、それらのいずれもが明末に出現したものを焼き直したものにすぎなかったから、そこに見られる世界も訟師像も実は明代のものである。この意味で、『蕭法遺筆』出現の意義は極めて大きい。また訟師秘本を史料として用いるときは、十分な注意の必要がある。

Since the late Ming period, a kind of convenient handbook, which not only carried examples of lawcase and special litigious terms, but also mentioned items important for those undertaking litigation, gained wide circulation in Chinese popular society. Works of this type, named 'Songshi miben' 訟師秘本 (the Secret handbook of pettifoggers) during the reign of Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, were officially prohibited. The so called Xiaocao yibi 蕭曹遺筆 (The Posthumous Writings of XiaoHe 蕭何 and Cao Shen 曹参) probably first appeared around the Jiajing period, and achieved great influence until the early years of Wanli. Later, the extremely large number of law suits earned China the sobriquet of 'Litigious society'. Although many kinds of 'Songshi miben' which originated from Xiao Cao yibi were treated as banned books, their publication in large quantities continued into the late Qing. Since all these works were nothing but an adaptation of those which had appeared in the late Ming, the scene, as well as the image of pettifoggers, properly belonged to that of the Ming Dynasty. In this sense, the appearance of XiaoCao yibi is of great significance. However, it is inadvisable to take their substance too seriously as a record of historical fact.