<論説>嘉靖六年年末の内殿儀礼改定 : 中国明代における専制君主と政策決定の正当性

Abstract

中国近世の政治制度は専制といわれるが、その制度の頂点に立つ皇帝がどのような思考で専制を行ったのかは解明されていない。本稿では、中国近世の専制君主の典型である明の世宗(嘉靖帝) をとりあげ、嘉靖六年年末の内殿儀礼改定の経緯とその後に世宗が著した『忌祭或問』を手掛かりに、世宗の政策決定の正当性に関する思考を検討した。世宗は儀礼改定にあたってはまず内閣への諮問を行い、また関係官僚の会議にかけて議論を行わせる意向を示し、自らの独断という形式による改定を忌避した。また、儀礼改定に対して宦官が異議を唱えた際には『忌祭或問』を著して、『書』の「絢謀僉同」(諮問したところみな同意する) の理念を提唱し、儀礼改定の手続きの正当性を強調した。世宗は自らに呈される異議を防ぐため、政策決定の正当性の象徴ともいうべき「絢謀僉同」を実行し、このようにすれば自らの意志が「私」ではなく「公」であることを証明できると考えていたのである。

It is said that political system of early-modern China was characterized by despotism The despotism of China has been discussed by many scholars since the time of the Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th century, but what the emperors who stood at the top of the despotic system in early-modern China thought when they conducted political affairs has not been revealed. Until the political thought of the emperors in the period is clarified, we cannot gain a complete picture of the despotism of early-modern China. Based on this point of view, this paper focuses on the thoughts about the legitimacy of political decisions by Ming Shizong (Emperor Jiajing), who was a model despot in early-modern China The key to solving the problem is the concept of xunmou qiantong 詢謀僉同 (the emperor consults and all consultants concur), which appears in the Shujing, because this phrase was taken as a symbol of the legitimacy of political decisions in the Ming court. Shizong himself advocated this idea several times. To clarify Shizong's thought about the legitimacy of political decisions, this paper reveals his logic of xunmou qiantong by analyzing the revision of rituals in the Neidian 内殿(Inner Palaces) at the end of the year Jiajing 6 (1527) and the Jiji huowen 忌祭或問, a book which was written by Shizong immediately after the revision. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, which had been established by the first Ming emperor Taizu, emperors had to conduct rituals in the Inner Palaces every day. But at the end of Jiajing 6, Shizong, feeling that conducting such daily rituals to be burdensome, consulted with senior officials of the Great Secretariat upon whom he relied in order to reduce his burden. Following the proposal of the senior officials of the Great Secretariat, Shizong decided to revise the rituals. However, he wanted to place this matter for deliberation at a meeting among the officials concerned because he was afraid of the protest from his subjects. The senior officials of the Great Secretariat did not agree to the meeting because they were also afraid of a protest directed at them, so they recommended that Shizong revise the rituals immediately on his own discretion. Thereafter, Shizong and the senior officials of the Great Secretariat reached a compromise, and Shizong finally conducted the revision in the form of accepting the proposal of revision offered by the Great Secretariat. However, immediately after the revision, eunuchs lodged a protest to Shizong over the revision. Shizong then wrote the Jiji huowen to argue the legitimacy of the procedures of the revision by advocating the concept of xunmou qiantong. From the process of the revision of rituals in the Inner Palaces and the content of the Jiji huowen, we can understand that Shizong was afraid of protests against him. He thought that unless the protests were eliminated, the problem would not be perfectly resolved. Practicing xunmou qiantong would prove that the emperor's will was public公, not privatet私, thus he could avoid the protests. Shizong's means of implementing xunmou qiantong was just the ordinary decision-making process of the Ming court holding court counsels廷議, having meeting among the officials concerned, and consulting the Great Secretariat confidentially. In Shizong's way of thinking, he could prove the legitimacy of his will by consulting with his subjects and getting their agreement. Based on this paper's analysis, we see that Shizong regarded the ordinary decision-making process of Ming as embodying xunmou qiantong and as the stage setting proving the legitimacy of his decisions and will. It appears that the ordinary decision-making process of the Ming was just a device propping up the despot. But at the same time, Shizong's thinking was bound by certain ideas such as xunmou qiantong and "the public". Needless to say, his subjects were also bound by these ideas. Clarifying the common frame of ideas binding the actions of the emperor and his subjects is important for further understanding of the political system in early-modern China.