<論説>京都府における国会開設運動の展開 : 私擬憲法案「大日本国憲法」の成立と沢辺正修

Abstract

「大日本国憲法」は、国会期成同盟第二回大会前に作成された数少ない私擬憲法案であるが、関係史料が限られていて、作成者の確定、作成の経緯など、基本的な点がはっきりしていなかった。ところが稲葉家文書から発見された新史料により、一八八○年九月における筑前共愛会の和田操の宮津遊説が契機となり、同会の憲法草案の影響の下、天橋義塾社長沢辺正修が一気に書き上げたことが判明した。その後「大日本国憲法」は、丹後選出府会議員らの討議により若干の修正を加えられ印刷・配布されていった。「大日本国憲法」作成と沢辺の国会期成同盟第二回大会参加は、筑前共愛会側から言えば、同会の遊説活動の顕著な成功例である。いち早く起草した憲法草案を携え国会期成同盟第二回大会に臨み主導権を握ろうとした筑前共愛会は、九州の外に同志を得たのである。こうして沢辺正修ら京都府民権派と筑前共愛会は、坂野潤治の言う「在地民権右派」の中核を形作っていく。

The Draft Constitution of the Empire of Japan [Dainipponkoku Kenpo] was one of the few civic constitutional drafts drawn up before the second meeting of the League for Establishing a National Assembly [Kokkai Kisei Domei]. However, due to limitation of historical materials, basic points had been unclear, for example, who wrote it and why it was written, until a new historical source document from the Inaba Family Archive revealed that the draft was made in quite a short period of time by Seishu Sawabe, the president of Tenkyogijuku School. Sawabe attended a speech by Misao Wada, the head of the Chikuzen Kyoaikai group, in Miyazu in September 1880 and was inspired by the group's draft constitution. The Dainipponkoku Kenpo was slightly amended by prefectural lawmakers elected from the Tango region before it was printed and published. From the standpoint of the Chikuzen Kyoaikai group, the formulation of the Dainipponkoku Kenpo and Sawabe's participation in the second meeting of the Kokkai Kisei Domei were typical examples of the success of its speech tour. The Chikuzen Kyoaikai group, in an effort to take the initiative in the second assembly of the Kokkai Kisei Domei by developing its own draft constitution earlier than its rivals, thus succeeded in gaining sympathizers outside of Kyushu. In this way, the pro-democracy faction in Kyoto led by Seishu Sawabe and the Chikuzen Kyoaikai group formed the core of what Junji Banno called the "zaichi-minken-uha" (local right-wing alliance for democracy).