<論説>初期室町幕府体制の「滅び」 --「三条殿」体制と将軍足利尊氏の大権行使-- (特集 : 滅び)

Abstract

本稿は、足利尊氏・直義・義詮の文書発給以外の活動を「平時」と「非常時」「重大事」で対比して分析することで、初期室町幕府の政治体制を解明した。その結果、「尊氏は平時においては政務を三条殿直義次いで鎌倉殿義詮に委任していたが、非常時や重大事の際は表に出て大権を行使した」という結論を得た。この体制は、平時においては比較的有効に機能したが、非常時・重大事に際しては十分な成果を収めたとは評価しがたい。その結果、観応の擾乱を起こして多くの損害を出し、初期の政治体制が次世代に継承されなかった。その点において、初期室町幕府も一度は「滅」んだと形容することが可能である。しかし、室町幕府は積極的な恩賞充行政策や訴訟の迅速化をはかり、また命令系統を足利義詮に一元化したことにより、決定的な滅亡を回避して長期政権を樹立した。

In this paper, I elucidate the political system of the early Muromachi shogunate by contrasting the activities (with the exception of the issuance of documents) of Ashikaga Takauji, Tadayoshi and Yoshiakira in times of peace, during emergencies, and when dealing with important matters. As a result, I conclude that in times of peace, Takauji usually delegated political affairs to Tadayoshi, known as Sanjō-dono, and then to Yoshiakira, known as Kamakura-dono, but in emergencies and when dealing with important matters, he came to the fore and exercised his prerogatives as shogun. This system functioned relatively well in times of peace, but in emergencies or regarding important matter, it did not function well. As a result, a damaging civil war (known as the “Kannō-no-Jō ran”) erupted, and the early political system of Muromachi shogunate was not adopted by next generation. In that respect, the early Muromachi shogunate can be described as once having experienced ruin. However, the Muromachi Shogunate's policy of positively distributing rewards and accelerating the settlement of disputes as well as centralizing the system of command around Ashikaga Yoshiakira allowed it to avoid definitive ruin and establish long-term regime.