Three Kingdoms Period

This refers to the 40-year period in China in the 3rd century when the three kingdoms of Wei, Wu, and Shu stood side by side. During the chaotic period of the Later Han Dynasty, independent powers abounded in various regions. Cao Cao supported Emperor Xian of the Later Han Dynasty, succeeded in unifying Hebei, and attempted to move south in 208. However, he was defeated by the combined forces of Liu Bei and Sun Quan in the Battle of Chibi, and returned north. Meanwhile, after the Battle of Red Cliffs, Liu Bei and Sun Quan fought over the possession of Jingzhou (Hubei, Hunan) and Yizhou (Sichuan), and in the end Liu Bei took Yizhou and Sun Quan took Jingzhou, while Sun Quan gained territory south of the Yangtze River, along with Yangzhou (Jiangsu, Zhejiang), which he had previously ruled. This almost completed the Three Kingdoms. In November 220, Cao Cao's son Cao Pi accepted the abdication of Emperor Xian in Luoyang and established the Wei dynasty. Upon hearing this, Liu Bei ascended to the throne in Chengdu in April of the following year, and the Han dynasty (Shu Han) was established. Sun Quan also established a different era name, but ascended to the throne in Jianye (Nanjing) in 229. In the early days of the Three Kingdoms, conflicts revolved around Wei and Wu versus Shu, and after 225, Wei versus Wu and Shu, but after the death of Zhuge Liang in 234, there were no major battles. In 263, Wei destroyed Shu, ending the era of the three kingdoms, but in 265, Wei also lost its country to Emperor Wu of Jin. Wu was destroyed in 280. Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms is the official history of the Three Kingdoms period, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a novel based on it.

Comparing the Han, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties with the Three Kingdoms period in between, we can see differences in various aspects such as society, economy, and culture. This clearly shows the characteristics of the Three Kingdoms period. First, the unified rule of the Han collapsed, and an era of fragmentation in which multiple dynasties always existed occurred. In terms of the central government system, the Secretariat, the Secretariat, and the Menxia were formed and developed, and played a role in the political involvement of the aristocrats, but they were derived from the officials who were close to the emperor in the Han period. In terms of the promotion of officials, the Nine Ranks of Officials Law was implemented at the time of the founding of the Wei dynasty, replacing the Han period's system of selection of villages and villages, and its management further developed into a system that created an aristocratic system. In terms of the land system, Cao Cao had already opened mintun in his base of Xu (Xuchang, Henan Province) and had the people cultivate ownerless land in a tenant farming format, which continued throughout the Wei dynasty and developed into the land-owning and land-taxing system of the Jin period. In terms of the military system, Wei implemented the military household system, separating soldiers from the general household register and making their status hereditary. Wu adopted the houyu system, giving generals houyu to support their armies. Next, in terms of culture, the status of Confucianism declined relatively, Laozi and Zhuangzi thought came to be valued, and Qingdao (religious discussions) were held. The Five Pours of Rice Way and Buddhism gradually spread their influence, and literature and other arts were recognized for their own unique value.

[Naotsugu Kano]

"Oriental History 4: The Age of Division" by Mori Shikazo, Kano Naotsugu, and others (1967, Jinbutsu Oraisha) " "Chinese History 3: Wei, Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties" by Kawakatsu Yoshio (1974, Kodansha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国で、3世紀に魏(ぎ)、呉(ご)、蜀(しょく)の三国が鼎立(ていりつ)した時期約40年間をいう。後漢(ごかん)の混乱期に各地に独立した勢力のなかで、曹操(そうそう)は後漢の献帝(けんてい)を擁し、河北の統一に成功し、208年南下を企てた。しかし赤壁(せきへき)の戦いで劉備(りゅうび)、孫権(そんけん)の連合軍に敗れて北に帰った。一方、赤壁の戦い後、劉備と孫権は荊州(けいしゅう)（湖北、湖南）および益州（四川(しせん)）の領有をめぐって争い、結局、劉備が益州を、孫権が荊州を手にし、孫権はもとからの支配地であった揚州(ようしゅう)（江蘇(こうそ)、浙江(せっこう)）とともに揚子江(ようすこう)以南を領土とし、三国鼎立の業がほとんどできあがった。220年11月、曹操の子曹丕(そうひ)は洛陽(らくよう)において献帝の譲を受けて魏を開き、これを聞いた劉備は翌年4月、成都に即位し漢（蜀漢）が成立した。孫権も別に年号をたてたが、229年建業（南京(ナンキン)）にあって即位した。三国は初期にあっては魏・呉対蜀が、225年以後は魏対呉・蜀といった対立を軸にして動いていくが、234年の諸葛亮(しょかつりょう)の死後はさしたる戦いもなかった。263年、魏は蜀を滅ぼし、鼎立の時代は終わったが、265年、魏も晋(しん)の武帝に国を奪われた。呉が滅亡したのは280年のことである。陳寿(ちんじゅ)の『三国志』は三国時代の正史であり、『三国志演義』はそれをもとにした小説である。

　三国時代を挟んで漢と晋・南北朝とを比較してみると、社会や経済、文化など種々の面においての差異をみることができる。このことが三国時代の特徴をよく示している。まず漢による統一支配が崩壊して、つねに複数の王朝の存在する分裂の時代が生じた。中央の官制についていえば、尚書省、中書省、門下省が形成され発展し、貴族の政治関与に役割を果たしたが、漢代の皇帝側近の官から分かれ出たものである。また官吏登用法では、魏成立期に九品官人法が施行されて、漢代の郷挙里選(きょうきょりせん)にかわり、さらにその運営は貴族制をつくりあげるものとなっていった。土地制度の面では、曹操がすでに本拠地の許（河南省許昌(きょしょう)）において民屯を開き、無主の土地を人民に耕作させて小作形態をとったが、それが魏一代を通して行われ、晋代の占田・課田制へと展開していった。また兵制では、魏は兵戸制を行って、兵士を一般戸籍から分かち、その身分を世襲させた。呉では奉邑(ほうゆう)制をとって、諸将に軍隊を養う奉邑を与えている。次に文化面をみると、儒教の地位が相対的に衰え、老荘思想が重んぜられ、清談(せいだん)が行われた。五斗米道(ごとべいどう)や仏教もしだいに教線を広げ、文学その他の芸術も独自の価値を認められた。

［狩野直禎］

『森鹿三・狩野直禎他著『東洋の歴史4　分裂の時代』（1967・人物往来社）』▽『川勝義雄著『中国の歴史3　魏晋南北朝』（1974・講談社）』

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