供養と宿衞 --あるいは外戚當權なる事象が漢代において頻出する要因の一斑について--

Abstract

In the bureaucracy of the Han dynasty, the duties called gongyang and suwei were particularly important. Gongyang meant takingpersonal care of emperor on a daily basis, and suwei escortingthe emperor day and night. The Han dynasty bureaucracy developed out of institutions dealingwith emperor's household affairs, and although these original qualities gradually diminished, this essence did not disappear throughout the Han dynasty. In the Han dynasty bureaucracy, the subordinates known as Shaofu 少府 and Guangluxun 光祿勳 were responsible for aidingthe emperor in his daily life. The Shaofu were in charge of the gongyang, and Guangluxun were in charge of the suwei. Duringthe Han dynasty, a facility called the Lu 廬 was set up within the area where the palace buildings were arrayed. Among the subordinates of the Guangluxun, were officials collectively called Langguan 郞官 who performed their duties while residingat the Lu. Wang Mang 王莽 is an example of a person who lived in the Lu of the imperial court and became the most powerful political figure by seizingpower as the supervisor of the bureaucrats dealingwith the emperor's miscellaneous affairs. At that time, the area reserved for palace buildings occupied most of the site of the imperial capital, which was designed for the emperor's comfort. In common with the bureaucracy, the spatial composition of the imperial capital was also organized to support the daily life of the emperor. Just as in the composition of a building, the lower foundation and the upper structure were inseparable. Many of the bureaucrats who served the emperor's daily needs were appointed from amongthose trusted most by the emperor. Eventually, in the era of the Eastern Han dynasty when infant emperors frequently took the throne, and the empress dowager would become his guardian. Members of the empress dowager's family would then be appointed preferentially as bureaucrats to manage the emperor's household, and they began to stay in the palace day and night under the pretext of engaging in the care of the infant emperor. The empress dowager's family was thus able to monopolize power duringthis period because the Han dynasty's bureaucracy was essentially the organization charged with the emperor's household affairs.