Kucha - Kucha

Japanese: クチャ - くちゃ

It refers to the oasis located at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, almost in the middle of the Western Regions North Road, and its central prefecture. Kucha County belongs to the Aksu region and has a population of 462,588 (2010). In 2011, Kucha Airport opened in the western part of the prefecture.

It appears in records from the Han dynasty under the name of Kucha (Kiji/Kuji), and was once subordinate to the Xiongnu and Eastern Han, but developed independently from the 2nd century onwards. Excavated documents show that Tocharian B (Kucha language), an Indo-European language, was used in Kucha until the Tang dynasty. During the Tang dynasty, it was briefly ruled by the Tang and Tubo, and became Uighur after the 9th century.

The royal family of Kucha (who have taken the surname Bai since the Han dynasty) gave generous support to Buddhism, and there are many Buddhist ruins around Kucha. The rock-cut temple sites of Kizil and Kumtura contain murals, mainly from the 5th to 9th centuries. A wooden cloth-covered sari (sari) container excavated by the Japanese Otani Expedition at the site of the Subashi monastery (ancient Subashi castle) north of Kucha is an excellent piece, with paintings of people playing musical instruments and dancing, as well as erotic figures, on the conical lid and body of the box. This is interesting as it shows a scene of a Kucha music performance, which was known in ancient China and Japan as Kucha music.

[Toshio Hayashi, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

World Heritage Registration

In 2014, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) registered the Subashi Ancient City and the Kizilgaha Beacon Tower as cultural heritage sites on the World Heritage List as part of the Silk Road: Trade Route Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (World Cultural Heritage).

[Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

[References] | Otani Expedition | Tocharian

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、新疆(しんきょう)ウイグル自治区の天山(てんざん)南麓、西域(せいいき)北道のほぼ中間に位置するオアシス、およびその中心となる県をさす。クチャ県はアクス地区に属し、人口46万2588（2010）。2011年には県西部にクチャ空港が開港した。

　亀茲(きじ／きゅうじ)の名で漢代の記録にみえ、匈奴(きょうど)や後漢(ごかん)に服属したこともあるが、2世紀以後は独自の発展を遂げた。発掘された文書によって、クチャでは唐代までインド・ヨーロッパ語に属するトカラB語（クチャ語）が用いられていたことがわかっている。唐代には一時、唐や吐蕃(とばん)の支配を受け、9世紀以降ウイグル化した。

　クチャの王家（漢代以来、白姓を名のる）は仏教を手厚く保護したため、クチャ周辺には数多くの仏教遺跡がある。キジル、クムトラなどの石窟(せっくつ)寺院址(し)には、主として5～9世紀の壁画が描かれている。またクチャ北方のスバシ伽藍(がらん)址（スバシ故城）で日本の大谷(おおたに)探検隊が発掘した木製布張り舎利(しゃり)容器は、円錐(えんすい)形の蓋(ふた)と箱の胴部に、楽器を演奏し舞踊する人物とエロスなどが描かれている優品である。これは古来、亀茲楽の名で中国や日本にも知られたクチャ音楽の演奏場面を示すものとして興味深い。

［林　俊雄・編集部　2018年1月19日］