金國の正旦・聖節の儀禮と外國使節

Abstract

This article examines various ceremonies and banquets that were held annually at the court of the Jin dynasty during the 12th century for offering congratulations at the New Year and on imperial birthdays. The attendance of foreign envoys was an essential part of the ceremonies and banquets, in addition to many officials of the Jin government. Ceremonies such as audiences of envoys with the emperor were performed in tents during the time of Aguda 阿骨打, the founder of the Jin dynasty. During the reign of the emperor Taizong Wukimai 太宗吳乞買 the ceremonies started to be performed in the new imperial palace established at Yuzhai 御寨, the base of the Alchuka Jurchen tribe, when the Jin established diplomatic relations with neighboring states. After the emperor Xizong 熙宗 ascended the throne, the Jin established rules for the ceremonies in which envoys from the three states of Qi, Koryŏ and Xixia participated. These ceremonies were held in the imperial palaces in the capital Shangjing 上京. This signified the creation of ceremonies in which envoys from the three states met the emperor simultaneously. The discovery of new material written by Song Zhicai 宋之才 of the Southern Song has clarified the fact that the Southern Song embassy already enjoyed the privileges of a state that was on equal terms with the Jin in the ceremonies held during Xizong's reign. Next, I clarify the characteristics of ceremonies performed during the reign of the emperor Shizong 世宗 with reference to the ritual text Dajin jili 大金集禮. The ceremonies were held in the vast and magnificent imperial palaces in the capital Zhongdu 中都, impressing the audiences, including foreign embassies, with the authority of the Jin emperor. However, the fact that the foreign states dispatching embassies to the ceremonies for offering congratulations at the New Year and on imperial birthdays were always limited to the three states of Southern Song, Koryŏ and Xixia also means that the hegemony of the Jin dynasty in Eastern Eurasia was limited.