Suikoden - Suikoden

Japanese: 水滸伝 - すいこでん

A full-length novel from the Ming Dynasty in China. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, in the third year of Xuanhe (1121) under Emperor Huizong, Song Jiang and others started a rebellion in Huainan, wielding great power for a time, but eventually being defeated and surrendering, according to an article in the Song History. Lectures based on the Song Jiang Rebellion gradually developed, and the one that took on a more or less formal form at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty is called the Water Margin. Water Margin means the shores of water, and the story is based on the fact that Song Jiang and others established their base on a lake called Liangshanbo. It is one of the four great strange novels. There are three versions of the Water Margin: 70 chapters, 100 chapters, and 120 chapters. The 120-chapter version is the most developed version of the Water Margin tale. Now, let me introduce the plot of the story. The story consists of seven parts.

[Hidetaka Otsuka]

Synopsis

The first chapter is the beginning of the story, in which the Grand Marshal Hong Xin opens the Demon Palace of Longhu Mountain and releases the 36 Heavenly Stars and 72 Earthly Stars, a total of 108 Demon Lords. The following chapters 2 to 71 are the oldest and most beloved parts of the Water Margin tale, and include biographies of Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Yang Zhi, and others before they ascend to Liangshan Marsh, as well as the theft of a birthday gift by Chao Gai and his men, followed by the murder of Yan Poxi by Song Jiang, and the end of the story with the 108 heroes gathering at Liangshan Marsh. This section is the core of Suikoden. Chapters 72-82 tell the story of how Song Jiang met Li Shishi, a famous courtesan favored by Emperor Huizong, in Tokyo, and how, with her help, he was pardoned and surrendered to the throne. Chapters 83-90 tell the story of how Song Jiang and his surrendered companions invaded Liao, and Chapters 91-110 tell the story of how they defeated the rebels Tian Hu and Wang Qing. During this time, not a single member of Song Jiang's party was killed in battle, but by the time of the campaign against Fang La in Chapters 111-119, the generals were killed one after another, and those who survived became monks or fled the country, with only 27 people returning to Tokyo, a tragic situation. The final chapter, Chapter 120, tells the fate of these 27 men.

[Hidetaka Otsuka]

Established

Although "Suikoden" has the form of a full-length novel, in reality it is merely a collection of short stories. In "Drunken Old Man's Conversation Records," the Song Dynasty's Pu Dao (Bokto) and Kambo (Kanbo) tales include "The Blue-faced Beast," "The Flower Monk," "The Martial Artist," "Li Congji," and "The Lost Grass of Xu's Family." These are the weft threads, and the tales of Chao Gai and Song Jiang from "Xuanhe Yishi" are the warp threads. The early "Suikoden" is presumably created by incorporating the Suikoden drama that was performed as a Yuan song at the time and having Lin Chong embody the just cause of "the government oppressing the people." It is said to have been written either at the end of the Yuan dynasty or the beginning of the Ming dynasty, and is believed to have been compiled by Shi Nai'an, with Luo Guanzhong as his collaborator or successor. Recently, Shi Nai'an's tombstone inscription and family genealogy have been discovered, but their authenticity is uncertain. After this, a 100-part edition was published by the Jiajing era (1522-66), which included the section on the expedition to the Liao dynasty, and a 120-part edition was published at the end of the Ming dynasty, which added episodes about Tian Hu and Wang Qing. However, as "Suikoden" is a tale of thieves, it was extremely inconvenient for rulers, especially the conquering Qing dynasty. This is why it was banned so many times. In this climate, Jin Shengtan, a critic from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, published a 70-part edition in which he titled the first installment the Keshi (preface), took the first 71 installments to make up the 70th installment, and added a paragraph in which Lu Junyi dreams of 108 people being beheaded; this became the most popular edition ever.

[Hidetaka Otsuka]

Impact

Among the sequels, Chen Xi's "Suikoden" (Suikoden of the Huanghuan) is the best, as it reflects the suffocating political situation at the end of the Ming and beginning of the Qing dynasties. Yu Wanchun's "Dangkou Shi" (The Records of Thieves) is not highly regarded, as it places too much emphasis on punishing thieves. In Japan, following Okajima Kanzan's "Tsuzoku Zhongyi Suikoden," many translations have been made, which had a great influence on reading books of the late Edo period. Representative examples include Takebe Ayatari's "Honcho Suikoden" and Kyokutei Bakin's "Nansō Satomi Hakkenden."

[Hidetaka Otsuka]

"The Water Margin, translated by Kojiro Yoshikawa and Shigeru Shimizu (Iwanami Bunko), 15 volumes" "The Water Margin, translated by Shinji Komada (1967-68, Heibonsha)"

[Supplementary material] | Characters from "Suikoden"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、明(みん)代の長編小説。北宋(ほくそう)の末、徽宗(きそう)の宣和(せんな)3年（1121）淮南(わいなん)で宋江(そうこう)らが乱を起こし、一時大いに勢力を振るったが、やがて敗戦投降したとの記事が『宋史』にみえる。この宋江の乱を題材とした講釈がしだいに発展し、元末明初にいちおうの形を整えたものが『水滸伝』とよばれる。水滸とは水のほとりの意味で、宋江らが梁山泊(りょうざんぱく)という湖水に根城を構えたことに基づく。四大奇書の一つ。『水滸伝』の版本は70回本、100回本、120回本の3種に大別される。なかでも120回本が水滸説話のもっとも発展した姿である。いま、これによってその「あらすじ」を紹介してみよう。物語は七つの部分からなる。

［大塚秀高］

あらすじ

第1回は物語の発端であり、太尉(たいい)の洪信(こうしん)が竜虎山(りゅうこざん)の伏魔殿(ふくまでん)を開き、封じ込められていた天罡星(てんこうせい)36、地煞星(ちさつせい)72、あわせて108の魔王を逃がしてしまうことが述べられる。続く第2～71回は、水滸説話のもっとも古く、かつもっとも人々に愛好された部分であり、魯智深(ろちしん)、武松(ぶしょう)、楊志(ようし)などが梁山泊に上るまでの銘々伝、および晁蓋(ちょうがい)らによる生辰綱(せいしんこう)（誕生日の贈り物）の詐取とこれに引き続く宋江の閻婆惜(えんばしゃく)殺しなどが述べられ、108名の英雄が梁山泊へ勢ぞろいすることをもって終わる。この部分は『水滸伝』の中核である。第72～82回は、宋江が東京(とうけい)で徽宗寵愛(ちょうあい)の名妓(めいぎ)李師々(りしし)と会い、その手引きにより罪を許されて帰順する経緯が述べられ、帰順した宋江らによる遼(りょう)征伐が第83～90回に、反乱軍田虎・王慶討伐が第91～110回に述べられる。この間宋江らは1人も戦死することがなかったが、第111～119回の方臘(ほうろう)征伐に至り、諸将は次々と倒れ、生き残った者も出家、出奔し、東京に帰還したものわずかに27名という惨状を呈する。最後の120回ではこの27名の結末が語られる。

［大塚秀高］

成立

『水滸伝』は長編小説の形式をとってはいるが、その実、短編を寄せ集めたものにすぎない。『酔翁談録(すいおうだんろく)』には宋代の朴刀(ぼくとう)・桿棒(かんぼう)話本の演目として、「青面獣(せいめんじゅう)」「花和尚(かおしょう)」「武行者(ぶぎょうじゃ)」「李従吉(りじゅうきつ)」「徐家落草(じょけいらくそう)」などがみえる。これらを緯糸(よこいと)に、『宣和遺事(せんないじ)』にみえる晁蓋・宋江説話を経糸(たていと)とし、これに当時元曲として演ぜられていた水滸劇をも取り入れ、「官逼民反(かんひつみんぱん)」の大義名分を林冲(りんちゅう)に体現させ、初期『水滸伝』は成立したものと推定される。その時期は元末とも明初ともされ、編者には施耐庵(したいあん)、その協力者ないし後継者として羅貫中(らかんちゅう)が擬されている。近来施耐庵の墓碑銘、家譜なども発見されているが、その真偽のほどはさだかではない。こののち、嘉靖(かせい)年間（1522～66）までには征遼部分を含めた100回本が、明末には田虎・王慶の挿話を加えた120回本が刊行された。しかし『水滸伝』は盗賊の物語であり、支配者とくに征服王朝の清(しん)にとってはまことに不都合なものであった。たびたび禁書とされたゆえんである。この風潮のなか、明末清初の批評家金聖嘆(きんせいたん)が先の第1回を楔子(けっし)（序）とし、71回までをとって70回とし、108名が皆斬首(ざんしゅ)されるのを盧俊義(ろしゅんぎ)が夢みる一段を書き足した70回本を刊行するに及び、これが他を圧して流行したのである。

［大塚秀高］

影響

続書のなかでは、明末清初の逼塞(ひっそく)した政治状況を反映した陳忱(ちんしん)の『水滸後伝』がもっとも優れる。兪万春(ゆばんしゅん)の『蕩寇志(とうこうし)』は盗を懲らさんとする意図が勝ちすぎ、評価は高くない。日本では岡島冠山の『通俗忠義水滸伝』以来、多数の翻訳がなされ、江戸後期の読本(よみほん)に多大な影響を与えた。その代表としては建部綾足(たけべあやたり)の『本朝水滸伝』、曲亭馬琴(ばきん)の『南総里見八犬伝』があげられよう。

［大塚秀高］

『吉川幸次郎・清水茂訳『水滸伝』全15冊（岩波文庫）』▽『駒田信二訳『中国古典文学大系28～30　水滸伝』（1967～68・平凡社）』

[補完資料] | 『水滸伝』の登場人物

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

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