<論説>はじまりの記憶 : 銘文と詩篇のなかの祖考たち (特集 : モニュメント)

Abstract

二〇〇三年に発見された逨盤には、「逨曰く」で導入される自述の銘文として、皇高祖単公から逨に至る単氏八代が文正・武王から宣王に至る周王一二代に代々仕えていたことが語られていた。周人は文王・武王に「はじまりの時」を見出していたが、一方で、自述の銘文などで言及される「先王」と臣下の「祖考」は、固有名を伴わない集合的、非「歴史的」な存在でしかなかった。西周後期、叙事の詩篇が登場し、自述の銘文が固有名をともなった君臣関係を語りはじめるようになると、過去への言説は「歴史的」なものへと変質し、やがて文王・武王の「はじまりの時」以来の具体的な君臣関係を語ろうとする逨盤銘が出現するのである。臣下たちが「はじまりの時」に自らの家系の「はじまり」を見出していったとき、周王はそれをさらに遡及する先公の事績を回顧し、みずからの正統性を主張しようとする。周人・農耕のはじまりに位置する后稷、[ヒン]の地の記憶に結びつけられた公劉、周原の地に結びついて回顧される古公亶父といった先公たちの叙事詩が歌われ、やがて文王の父とされる王季を接続点として、文王・武王の「はじまりの時」は先公たちの系譜に埋め込まれていく。

The Lai pan 逨盤, excavated on January 19, 2003, from a hoard at Yangjiacun 楊家村 (Meixian country, Shaanxi province 陜西省眉県) describes the service of eight generations of the Shan 単 family, from Shan-gong 単公 to Lai, to the Zhou kings, from King Wen 文王 and King Wu 武王 to King Xuan 宣王. The inscription is in the self-narrative-style, beginning with the phrase, ''Lai says 逨曰". Although the Zhou people saw King Wen and King Wu as reigning at the "beginning" of the dynasty, "former kings" and the "ancestors" of the subjects mentioned in the inscription are only mentioned collectively as unhistorical presences without specific names. In the late Western Zhou period, epic poetry appeared and inscriptions in the self-narrative style began to tell of the relations between the sovereign and his subjects using their names, and the statements regarding the past became historical accounts. The Lai Pan, which concretely recounts sovereign-and-subject relations since the "beginning" of the Zhou dynasty, then appeared. When their subjects made the "beginning" of their family lineages coincide with the "beginning" of Zhou dynasty, Zhou kings attempted to assert their legitimacy by recalling the past achievements of far earlier kings, Houji 后稷, Gongliu 公劉, and Gugong- Danfu 古公亶父. The epic poetry of earlier kings, locating Houji at the beginnings of the Zhou people, linking Gong-liu to memories of the land of Bin 豳, or associating Gugong-Danfu with the land of Zhouyuan 周原, were sung. In contrast, specific memories of Wangji 王季 -- father of King Wen -- were not recalled. Wang-ji's only role was to link King Wen to Gugong-Danfu. This positioning is analogous to that of Xiefu 洩父, who tied King Huan 桓王 with King Ping 平王 of the Eastern Zhou dynasty. It is thought that the genealogy of King Ping -- Xiefu -- King Huan, which guaranteed the legitimacy of King Huan might reflect the genealogy of Gugong-Danfu -- Wangii -- King Wen. In using this account, the Guo 虢 clan, which held power during the reign of King Huan, sought the "beginning" of their family line with Wangji. By emphasizing the genealogy of Gugong-Danfu -- Wangii -- King Wen, King Wen was "buried" in the genealogy, and the accounts that saw King Wen and King Wu at the "beginning" of the dynasty were forgotten.