Child - Chigo

The word's origin is from the word chigo (infant), so it can refer to infants, but it also refers to children who have grown up a little. The temple's chigo had a special meaning, and were boys who did odd jobs (called kakshiki in Zen Buddhism). It is said that initially, the children of nobles were initiated into the temple, and they were shaved and taught Buddhism, but the chigo had no intention of becoming monks and had no hair. They were depicted in picture scrolls with long hair tied behind their necks in a suihatsu style (kakshiki had their hair cut at the shoulders), and wearing suikan or long silk. However, the temple's chigo attracted attention because they became the object of homosexuality in the monasteries, where women were not allowed. Monks competed to select beautiful boys to be their chigo exclusively, and there were often battles over them. This is why male homosexual young men are called "Ochigosan," and literature has left a genre of chigo tales, such as "Autumn Night's Long Tale." It is said that nobles and samurai families imitated temple chigo by having chigo as aides, and those of the samurai families became pages, which led to male homosexuality.

Furthermore, children also play important roles in Shinto and folk religious rites, which is thought to be based on the belief that children are sacred because of their purity. Considering the comparison of the children's dances performed by temple children during Ennen and those performed in Shinto rituals, as well as the difference that girls also participate in Shinto rituals, it is necessary to be careful when examining whether the children of both types belong to the same lineage.

[Yoichi Harashima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

語源は乳子(ちご)だから乳児をさすが、すこし成長した児童を含めて稚児といった。特別な意味をもつのは寺院の稚児で、雑用に従う少年であった（禅宗では喝食(かっしき)という）。初めは公家(くげ)の子弟を入門させ剃髪(ていはつ)して仏教を教育したともいうが、稚児は有髪で僧侶(そうりょ)になる目的はなかったという。髪は長く伸ばして首の後ろへんを元結(もとゆい)で結んだ垂髪(すいはつ)とし（喝食は肩のへんで切りそろえた）、水干(すいかん)または長絹(ちょうけん)を着た姿が絵巻物に描かれている。しかし、寺院の稚児が注目されるのは、女人禁制の僧院内で男色の対象となったことによる。僧たちは競って美少年を稚児に選んで専属とし、稚児をめぐる争奪を演じることがあった。男色の若衆(わかしゅ)を「お稚児さん」とよぶのはこのためで、文学にも『秋の夜(よ)の長物語』などの児(ちご)物語という一分野を残した。公家や武家が側近に稚児を置いたのは寺院の稚児をまねたものといわれ、武家のものは小姓となって男色につながっている。

　また、神社や民間の神事においても稚児が重要な役割を果たすことがあるが、子供の清浄性を神聖視したことに基づくと考えられる。寺院の稚児が延年(えんねん)のなかで舞う稚児舞と神事舞の稚児との比較や、神事には女児も参加する相違点などを考慮して、両者の稚児が同一系に属するか否かの検討は慎重を要する。

［原島陽一］

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