日本古代喪葬儀礼の特質 : 喪葬令からみた天皇と氏

抄録

Many studies have come out about funeral rites in ancient Japan lately, but few of them analyze the S^^Os^^o-ry^^o喪葬令, a chapter of the ritsu-ry^^o 律令 statutes that establishes funeral rites of the noblity. This paper analyzes the S^^Os^^o-ry^^o in comparison with classic Chinese books of rites -Girai 儀礼 etc.-and the equivalent statutes of the Tang period. It also explains the meaning of these rites from the stand point of the relationship between the Emperor and uji 氏 clans of ancient Japan. Under the statutes, aristocrats (ky^^okan 京官)were required to inform the Emperor of any deaths of kin, and the Emperor would send a messenger of condolence. Those who had to obey these duties were restricted within narrower limits than in China. Therefore, in Japan these rites aim to confirm the personal relationship between Emperor and ky^^okan, who were usually the uji leaders. The Japanese statutes provided public officials with much more tools and laborers for funeral rites than in Tang China, and in Japan, those public officials allowed such tools and labor were less limited in number than in China. While it was necessary for Japan to introduce and establish new rites from China, it was also necessary to open up these rites which had been performed only by uji members to the public. Whenever an aristocrat died, the Emperor would promised that he would support the deceased's successor in the uji. This is a practice exclusive to japan, by which relationships prior to the statutes between the Emperor and uji continued. These points clearly indicate that such unofficial and traditional relationships were the basis of the ritsury^^o system in ancient Japan.