Cai Lun - Sairin

A Chinese eunuch in the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who is said to have invented paper. He was born in Guiyang, Hunan. In 97, when he was serving as Shohorei (the head of the office in charge of manufacturing utensils for the imperial court), he demonstrated his talent by making swords and other tools for the imperial court, and in 105, he created paper made from wood chips, hemp waste, rags, fishing nets, etc. as a writing material to replace wooden tablets, bamboo tablets, and silk cloth, and presented it to Emperor He (reigned 88-105), who was pleased with it. This was called Cai Hou paper, and was considered the first paper invention, but since paper made from hemp, thought to date to the Western Han dynasty, was discovered in Lop Nur, Xinjiang Province in 1933, in Xi'an in 1957, and in Juyan, Gansu Province between 1973 and 1974, it has come to be seen that hemp paper had already existed since the Western Han period, and that Cai Lun, as the Ling of the Shang Fang, supervised the production of bark paper, which was of better quality than hemp paper, and was credited with popularizing this method. He was later appointed Marquis of Longting in 114 and promoted to Grand Master of Changle (Changle was the name of the palace; Grand Master was the official in charge of all matters related to carriages and horses), and even supervised the editing of Confucian scriptures. However, he had previously, with the intention of Empress Dowager Dou, framed Song Guiren, the grandmother of Emperor An (reigned 106-125), and so he committed suicide by taking poison when Emperor An began to rule directly.

[Kazuhiko Miyajima]

"The Life of a Eunuch in the Later Han Dynasty - Cai Lun" by Yoshida Mitsukuni (included in "Portraits of People in the World 8" edited by Kadokawa Shoten Editorial Department, 1962, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "The History of Paper-Making Technology in China" by Pan Jixing, translated by Sato Taketoshi (1980, Heibonsha)" ▽ "Chinese Civilization Seen from the History of Science" by Yabuuchi Kiyoshi (1982, NHK Publishing)" ▽ "Chen Shunshin's China Library 23: The Way of Paper" by Chin Shunshin (1999, Shueisha)" ▽ "The Biography of Cai Lun, the Father of Paper" by Yoshida Mitsukuni (included in "Hyakumanto" No. 16, 1963, published and edited by the Paper Museum; reprinted in the special issue "Hyakumanto" 50th Anniversary Special Issue, 2000, Paper Museum)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、後漢(ごかん)中期の宦官(かんがん)、紙の発明者とされてきた人。湖南(こなん)の桂陽(けいよう)出身。尚方令(しょうほうれい)（宮廷の器物などの製造をつかさどる役所の長官）の職にあった97年に、宮中の剣や諸道具をつくって才能を発揮したが、105年には、木簡(もっかん)・竹簡や絹布にかわる書材として、木くず、麻くず、ぼろぎれ、漁網などを材料とする紙をつくり、和帝（在位88～105）に献上して喜ばれたという。これは蔡侯紙(さいこうし)とよばれ、最初の紙の発明とされてきたが、1933年に新疆(しんきょう)省ロプノールで、また1957年に西安で、1973～1974年にも甘粛(かんしゅく)省の居延で、前漢のものと思われる、麻を原料とする紙が発見されたことから、麻紙はすでに前漢の時代からあり、蔡倫は尚方令として、麻紙より良質の樹皮紙の製造の監督にあたり、これらを普及させるのに功のあった人と考えられるようになってきた。彼はその後、114年に竜亭(りゅうてい)侯に封ぜられ、長楽太僕（長楽は宮殿名。太僕は車馬に関する諸事をつかさどる長官）に進み、さらに儒学経典の校訂を監督したりしたが、以前、竇太后(とうたいこう)の内意を受けて安帝（在位106～125）の祖母の宋貴人(そうきじん)を陥れたことがあったため、安帝が親政するに及んで服毒自殺した。

［宮島一彦］

『吉田光邦著「ある後漢の宦官の生涯――蔡倫」（角川書店編集部編『世界の人間像8』所収・1962・角川書店）』▽『潘吉星著、佐藤武敏訳『中国製紙技術史』（1980・平凡社）』▽『藪内清著『科学史からみた中国文明』（1982・日本放送出版協会）』▽『陳舜臣著『陳舜臣中国ライブラリー23　紙の道　ペーパーロード』（1999・集英社）』▽『吉田光邦著「紙祖　蔡倫伝」（紙の博物館編・刊『百万塔』16号所収・1963／臨時増刊『「百万塔」創立五十周年記念特別号』2000・紙の博物館に再録）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例