<論説>武氏祠画象石「水陸交戦図」の一解釈

Abstract

武氏祠画象石の「水陸交戦図」は、種々の点で特異な要素を含む画象である。つまり、後漢代の戦闘に於いては用いられない車馬或いは婦人等が、戦闘画面中に登場することは、後漢の風俗に合致しない。又、武梁祠以外の一群の武氏祠画象石中に、この主題が四回表わされ、しかも大画面である。こうした点から、戦闘図とはいえ何らかの故事をもつものと考えられている。しかしながらこれまでの解釈はいずれも、故事の発生した時代、或いは地域が山東画象の題材としては余りにも遠隔すぎはしないかという疑問がある。そこで、私はこの図の題材について再検討し、その結果「水流注」「後漢書」等に記載をみる "呂母起兵" の故事ではないかと考える。呂母起兵の事蹟とは、王莽時代、赤眉の乱の口火を切ったともいうべき出来事で、山東沿岸にて呂母なる婦人が、吾が子を殺した県の役人に復讐を画て、任侠らを海に結集し、その役人を攻め討ったという劇的な物語である。

Among the series of stone reliefs of the Wu-shih tz'u in Shan-tung 山東 there are four scenes which are called the 'Battle at the Bridge'. These scenes contain remarkable and unique elements. First, the customs and manners which appear in these scenes do not agree with those of the Later Han era when the reliefs were engraved. For example, chariots and women foot-soldiers are described in the scenes, although they did not appear in the other pictures of the Later Han. Moreover, it is interesting to find this battle scene repeatedly engraved on the Wu-shih tz'u in similar versions covering wider areas than other scenes. It is considered, therefore, that the subject of this scene was taken from a historical event which many scholars have tried to explain in many ways. However, when I try to apply their explanations to this scene of the Wu-shih tz'u. there are some geographical and chronological problems left unanswered, so that I can not find a satisfactory reason for its inclusion among the Wu-shih tz'u reliefs. In this essay I am trying to re-investigate the theme of the 'Battle at the Bridge', concluded that this scene represents the historical event of the 'Battle of mother Lü 呂母 'in Shan-tung 山東 which is recorded in the Shi-ching-chu 水経注 and the Hou-Han-shu 後漢書, which took place in Jin-chao 日照 prefecture on the Shan-tung 山東 coast during the Wang-mang 王莽 period (8-23 A. D.). The 'Battle of mother Lü 呂母' was the event in which mother Lü killed a government official at Jihchao 日照 in revenge for his murder of her son, which was the very spark that ignited the famous battle of Red-painted Brow 赤眉 during the first century A. D..