甄琛から見る北魏という時代

Abstract

Zhen Chen lived duringthe Northern Wei dynasty, and his biography appears in the 68th volume of the Weishu 魏書. Readinghis biography, we find clues to understand problems faced by the Northern Wei dynasty, especially after the transfer of the capital to Luoyang 洛陽 by Emperor Xiaowen 孝文, and this paper examines the circumstances of the Northern Wei dynasty through an examination of the achievements of Zhen Chen. The paper addresses four points. The first is an elucidation of the actual political situation in the reign of Emperor Xuanwu 宣武. The second is a consideration of the relationship between Zhoudazhongzheng 州大中正 and the stratification of society created by Xingzuxiangding 姓族詳定. The third is an enumeration of the characteristics of family precepts during the Northern Dynasties. The fourth is an inference of the content of the family percepts of Zhen Chen based on the results of the third point. After ascending the throne, Emperor Xuanwu chose to govern on his own since he was dissatisfied with the politic system of the Liufu 六輔. Zhen Chen was a central figure in implementing the emperor's new system. It is said that the stratification of Northern Wei society created by Emperor Xiaowen with the Xingzuxiangding, and Zhoudazhongzheng 州大中正 were charged with the determination of family ranks (Jiage 家格) in every Zhou. Zhen Chen, as a Zhoudazhongzheng of Dingzhou 定州, wrote Xingzufeixing 姓族廃興 to fulfill his mission. There also was a document (xingzhuang 行状) for Zhen Chen which was full of flattering compliments. The chief aim of havingsuch a xingzhuang was to upgrade his family rank. The author clarifies three main points regarding family precepts during the Northern Dynasties. First, a large portion of the family precepts has appeared. Second, families were large compared to those of the Southern Dynasties and they were closely united by brotherly solidarity. Third, in order to maintain their large families, they attached importance to the virtue of filial piety (xiao 孝). The three characteristics noted above are also applicable to the family percepts of Zhen Chen. From his biography, we can find that he lived in harmony with his younger brother, and took great care of his parents. From recently found epigraph of his fourth son, we can find that he took an obedient attitude toward his mother. This means that his son inherited his nature of xiao. In addition, there are some historical records tellingthat Zhen Chen let his sons study hard, so he might have emphasized the importance of studying in his percepts.