Hall - Kaikan

A facility established for meetings and lodging by groups of people from the same hometown, profession, alumni, etc. This originally began in China during the Ming Dynasty, flourished during the Qing Dynasty, and rapidly declined after the Republic of China. However, in Japan, such facilities have been established in various places since the Meiji period, and today many foundations have built grand facilities that are actively used. In China, people from the provinces would travel to the capital to communicate with the central government, so the Later Han Dynasty had a county residence in Luoyang, the Tang Dynasty had a Jinsouin in Chang'an, and the Song Dynasty had a morning assembly hall in Kaifang, but these were exclusively for government officials. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, when the distribution of goods increased dramatically and the number of people taking the imperial examinations increased, facilities called kaikan (assembly halls) became common not only in the capital but also in central cities in the provinces, where government officials and merchants worked together. According to records, the oldest is the Wuhu Hall in Beijing, founded during the Yongle period (1403-24) of the Ming Dynasty, but in fact it seems that local areas across the country began to set up halls in Beijing around the Jiajing (1522-66) and Wanli (1573-1619) periods. The Journal of Jingshifang Xiangshi, from the late Qing Dynasty, lists 405 halls. They varied in size, character and purpose, but most were hometown associations run by local merchants pooling their funds and with the assistance of local government officials, and were usually used as lodgings for merchants traveling to the capital with cargo and for students taking exams. However, most were from the same hometown or trade, and influential merchants and high-ranking government officials tended to monopolize the halls. Some halls were called public offices, halls, shrines, or altars, and some even had shrines dedicated to deities, cemeteries, theaters, exchanges, etc. In particular, there were many large halls for businesses such as finance, oil, dyes, tea, and salt, and in local cities they also handled matters such as weights and measures, market management, police, courts, and welfare, but the reason they did not become the core of the establishment of free cities like the guilds of medieval Europe was probably because they had strong ties with the bureaucrats.

[Masui Tsuneo]

"Society and Guilds in China" by Niida Sheng (1951, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Guilds in China" by Negishi Hitoshi (1932, Shibun Shoin) ▽ "On Chinese Guilds" by Mauss, translated by Masui Tsuneo (1932, Seikatsusha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

同郷、同業、同窓などの団体が会合や宿泊のため設けた施設。これはもと中国の明(みん)代に始まり清(しん)代に盛行し、民国となって急速に衰退したが、日本では明治以後各地に設けられ、今日は多くの財団が宏壮(こうそう)な施設を建設して盛んに利用されている。中国では中央政府との連絡に地方から上京するもののため、後漢(ごかん)には洛陽(らくよう)に郡邸(ぐんてい)、唐には長安に進奏院(しんそういん)、宋(そう)には開封(かいほう)に朝集院が設けられていたというが、これは官吏専用であった。商品流通が激増し、科挙の受験生も増加した明・清時代には、首都ばかりでなく地方の中心都市にも官吏と商人との共同で会館とよばれる設備が普遍化した。記録では北京(ペキン)の蕪湖(ぶこ)会館が明の永楽(えいらく)年間（1403～24）に創建されたというのがいちばん古いが、事実は全国の各地方が嘉靖(かせい)（1522～66）、万暦(ばんれき)（1573～1619）のころから北京に設置し始めたものらしい。清末の『京師坊巷志(こうし)』には405の会館を記載している。その規模の大小、性格や用途はさまざまだったが、多くは同郷団体でその地方の商人が資金を出し合い、その地方出身の官僚も援助して経営し、貨物をもって上京する商人や受験生の宿泊所とするのが普通だった。しかし同郷と同業とはほとんど共通しており、有力な商人や高級官僚が会館を独占する傾向があった。会館には公所、堂、社、祠(し)などとよぶものもあり、祭神を祀(まつ)る祠堂(しどう)や共同墓地、劇場、取引所などを設けたものもあった。ことに金融業、油業、染料、茶、塩などの同業会館は大規模のものが多く、地方都市では度量衡や市場の管理、警察、裁判、福祉などの事務にもあたったが、中世ヨーロッパのギルドのように自由都市成立の中核にならなかったのは、官僚との癒着が強かったからであろう。

［増井経夫］

『仁井田陞著『中国の社会とギルド』（1951・岩波書店）』▽『根岸佶著『中国のギルド』（1932・斯文書院）』▽『モース著、増井経夫訳『支那ギルド論』（1932・生活社）』

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