Ganmon Pass - Ganmon Pass

A strategic location for transportation and military purposes located in the north of Dai County in the northern part of Shanxi Province, China. It has long been known as "Juzhukei" (Quchukei) as a narrow pass that crosses the Hengshan Mountain Range, which is the watershed between the Hutuo River and the Sangqian River. It was also known as "Juzhusai" (Quchusai), and was considered a strategic location from a military perspective. In the Warring States period, when Zhao Xiangzi destroyed the Dai state located near present-day Wei County, Hebei Province, in 457 BC, and in the early Western Han Dynasty, when Gaozu Liu Bang was surrounded by the Xiongnu's Maodun Chanyu at Baideng Mountain (near Datong City, Shanxi Province), both exceeded the limit. In the Tang Dynasty, a checkpoint was established on Yanmen Mountain to the west of the current Yanmen Pass, and in the Song Dynasty, it was also considered important for defense against the Khitan. It was temporarily abolished by the Yuan Dynasty, but was relocated again to its current location along the Inner Great Wall at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), various tribes on the Mongolian Plateau made constant invasions, so Yanmen Pass, which was built on the Great Wall, was considered one of the three important passes in Shanxi, along with Biantou Pass (Jianguan County, Shanxi Province) and Ningwu Pass (Ningwu County, Shanxi Province).

[Shiro Sekio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、山西(さんせい／シャンシー)省北部、代(だい)県の北方に位置する交通、軍事上の要地。滹沱河(こだが／フートゥオホー)と桑乾河(そうかんが／サンカンホー)の分水嶺(ぶんすいれい)である恒山(こうざん／ホンシャン)山脈を越える隘路(あいろ)として、古くから句注陘(くちゅうけい)の名で知られており、また句注塞(さい)の名もあるように、要害の地として軍事上も重視されていた。戦国時代、趙襄子(ちょうじょうし)が現在の河北(かほく／ホーペイ)省蔚(うつ)県付近にあった代国を紀元前457年に滅ぼした際も、前漢初期に高祖劉邦(りゅうほう)が匈奴(きょうど)の冒頓単于(ぼくとつぜんう)に白登(はくとう)山（山西省大同(だいどう／タートン)市付近）で包囲された際も、いずれも句注陘を越えている。唐になると、現在の雁門関の西側の雁門山上に関が設けられたが、宋(そう)においても、契丹(きったん)に対する防衛上重視された。その後、元(げん)によって一時廃止されたが、明(みん)初にふたたび現在の内長城沿いの位置に移設された。明代（1368～1644）には、モンゴル高原にあった諸部族が間断なく侵攻を繰り返したため、万里の長城に設けられた雁門関は、偏頭(へんとう)関（山西省偏関県）、寧武(ねいぶ)関（山西省寧武県）などとともに、山西三関の一つとして重要視された。

［關尾史郎］

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