唐前半󠄁期の泛階と人事政策

Abstract

Fanjie 泛階 refers to a system, which was started in the first year of the Qianfeng 乾封 era (666) of Tang Gaozong 高宗, to elevate the sanguan 散官 (so-called privilege titles awarded officials regardless post) of bureaucrats en masse. The system was applied to bureaucrats of the fourth rank or lower, and those with the third rank or higher were altered by the bestowal of a title 賜爵. Bureaucrats of the sixth rank or lower were usually promoted through a cycle of obtaining zhishiguan 職事官 (government posts) based on their sanguan rank held, obtaining promotion or demotion of sanguan based on service evaluation on the expiration of the four-year term of office, and then assuming the next government post based on the newly acquired sanguan. However, just prior to and immediately after the establishment of the fanjie system, there was an insufficient number of zhishiguan, and bureaucrats had to spend the period between their previous and next government posts as xuanren 選人, those awaiting appointment to actual positions. As there was no service evaluation for xuanren, the promotion of sanguan was also postponed accordingly. The fanjie and languan 濫官 of the Wuzhou 武周 period were the two core pillars of personnel policy implemented to cope with this situation. While encouraging prompt elevation of sanguan through the fanjie system, the number of temporary appointments, such as shiguan 試官 and yuanwaiguan 員外官, was increased to deal with the many who were retained as xuanren. In fact, when examining the personnel records of bureaucrats from stone carvings and other historical sources, it is clear that the speed of promotion of the bureaucrats after the fanjie system of the Qianfeng era was instituted was more than twice as fast as those who obtained a standard grade on the evaluation and a one rank promotion once every four years. In contrast, those of fifth rank or higher were considered Daifu 大夫 (grand masters) and those of third rank or higher were considered Gongqing 公卿 (dukes and ministers), and in various aspects, such as pay and benefits, they differed from those of sixth or lower rank. Therefore, from the beginning of Tang , there were strict eligibility restrictions established in the Tang Code 唐令 for entry into the fifth and third ranks. Although promotions to the fifth and third ranks became possible due to the fanjie system, it was not allowed without limitation. After the Wuzhou period, eligibility requirements for promotion based on the number of service evaluations received after becoming a bureaucrat were established, including one's current government post, official court rank, and criminal history, among other aspects. These eligibility restrictions were passed down from the Wuzhou period to that of Xuanzong 玄宗, and further into the latter half of the Tang dynasty, as special administrative rules (ge 格) that complemented the regulations of the Tang Code. In this manner, the government skillfully used the conflicting policies of the fanjie system and the eligibility restrictions for promotions and was thus able to control popular sentiment and maintain the traditional hierarchical lines of the fifth and third ranks.