Harem - Koukyuu

It is similar to the inner palace of the emperor in Edo and the harem of the Islamic world in the sense of the innermost part of the emperor's palace. The Chinese emperor's palace was clearly divided into the outer court and the inner court. The outer court was where the emperor, as the sovereign, received his ministers, discussed politics, and performed ceremonies, while the inner court was where he, as the head of the household, lived a private family life with the empress and other women, minor children, and eunuchs. This inner court was the harem, and since it was composed mostly of women, the women in the palace were also called the harem. In the Beijing palace of the Qing dynasty, the Qianqing Gate was the boundary between the inner court and the outer court, and eunuchs were forbidden to go outside and general officials were forbidden to enter inside. China has had a polygamous system since ancient times, and it is officially recognized in Confucianism that the higher one's status, the more wives and concubines one had. According to the "Zhou Rites," which are said to have been established by the Duke of Zhou, in addition to one empress, three wives, nine concubines, 27 heiresses, and 81 concubines were stipulated, totaling 121 wives and concubines. However, in later times, emperors did not stop there, and in his "Song of Everlasting Regret," Bai Juyi wrote about Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, "There were three thousand beautiful women in the harem." The pretext for having many wives and concubines was to obtain an heir, but in reality, the emperor's obsession with women damaged his health and disrupted politics, and at the end of one dynasty, it had the opposite effect, leading to an early death of the emperor without an heir. Also, when the emperor was foolish, the harem became a place of interference in the affairs of the court, so-called female audiences. At its most extreme, after the death of Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, his Empress Lu took power and favored his family, putting the imperial family in danger. In addition, Empress Wu of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty rose from a single court lady to usurp the Tang Dynasty and establish the Zhou Dynasty. These problems have continued throughout history, and even the Qing Dynasty came close to demise due to the sole authority of Empress Dowager Cixi. Furthermore, eunuchs became indispensable as servants in the harem, and with the harem as a backdrop, the influence of the matriarchs grew.

In Japan, the palace within the Imperial Palace where the Empress, Consorts, Ladies and Gentlemen live, as well as the Empress, Consorts, Ladies and Gentlemen who live there and the ladies-in-waiting who serve them, are called the Harem.

[Miyazaki City]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

天子の宮中の奥深い部分の意味で、江戸の大奥、イスラム世界のハレムに類似する。中国天子の宮城は外朝と内廷とに判然と区別され、外朝は天子が主権者として群臣を引見し政治を議し、儀式を行う場所であり、内廷は一家の主人として皇后以下の婦女と未成年の子供、および宦官(かんがん)とともに個人的な家庭生活を送る場である。この内廷がすなわち後宮であり、その構成人員は婦人が多数を占めるので、宮中の婦人をも後宮と称する。清(しん)朝の北京(ペキン)宮城では乾清(けんせい)門が内廷と外朝との境界をなし、宦官がこれより外に出ること、一般官僚がこれより内に入ることを禁じられた。中国は古来一夫多妻制で、妻妾(さいしょう)の数は身分の高い者ほど多いことが儒教でも公認されている。周公が制定したといわれる『周礼(しゅらい)』によれば、1人の后のほかに、3夫人、9嬪(ひん)、27世婦、81女御(じょぎょ)と、合計121人の妻妾が規定される。しかし後世の天子の場合はこれにとどまらず、白楽天(はくらくてん)が唐の玄宗(げんそう)について『長恨歌(ちょうごんか)』のなかで「後宮の佳麗三千人」と歌ったほど多くの婦女が宮中に存在した。妻妾を多くするのは継嗣を得るのを名目とするが、実際には天子が女色におぼれて健康を損ない政治を乱し、一王朝の末期には天子が後継者を得ずして早死にするような逆効果を招くことがおこった。また天子の暗愚なときには、後宮より朝廷の人事に対する干渉容喙(ようかい)、いわゆる女謁(じょえつ)が盛んとなり、もっとも甚だしいときには、漢の高祖劉邦(りゅうほう)の死後、その皇后呂(りょ)氏が権力を握りその一族を重用して皇室を危殆(きたい)に陥れ、また唐の高宗の皇后武氏が一女官より身をおこして唐を簒奪(さんだつ)し、周王朝を建てたごとき例があり、歴代その弊害がやまず、清朝でも西太后(せいたいこう)の専権によって滅亡に近づいた。さらに後宮の奉仕者として宦官が不可欠の存在となり、あるいは後宮を背景として外戚(がいせき)が勢力を伸ばした。

　なお、日本でも、内裏(だいり)のなかで、皇后、妃(ひ)、夫人、嬪の住む殿舎、また、ここに居住する皇后、妃、夫人、嬪およびこれに奉仕する女官(にょかん)をさして後宮といった。

［宮崎市定］

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