Zhao

The name of a country in China during the Warring States period. It began in 403 BC when the Zhao clan, a nobleman who served the Jin dynasty, along with the Han clan and the Wei clan, divided the Jin dynasty into three parts and became independent feudal lords, with their capital in Jinyang (Taiyuan City). It ruled over what is now the northern part of Shanxi Province and the southeastern part of Hebei Province, and was counted as one of the Seven Warring States. King Wu Ling (reigned 325-299 BC), who was the first to claim the title of king at the end of the 4th century BC, demonstrated his power to other countries by adopting the horse-riding tactics unique to nomads, and the next king, Huiwen (reigned 298-266 BC), moved the capital to Handan, destroyed the Zhongshan Kingdom, and built a great wall from Dai (Wei County, Hebei Province) along the Yinshan Mountains to Inner Mongolia, proving his power. However, from around this time onwards, the kingdom was frequently attacked by the Qin Dynasty, and thanks to the efforts of Prince Pingyuan and other figures, the kingdom was able to survive for four generations, but in 228 BC, Handan was taken by the Qin Dynasty, and in 221 BC, Prince Jia, who was in exile, was killed, leading to the downfall of the kingdom.

[Ota Yukio]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、戦国時代の国名。晋(しん)に仕えていた大夫(たいふ)の趙氏が、紀元前403年、韓(かん)氏、魏(ぎ)氏とともに晋を三分して独立した諸侯となり、晋陽（太原(たいげん)市）に都を置いたときから始まる。現在の山西省北部、河北省南東部を領有し、戦国七雄の一つに数えられる。前4世紀末に初めて王を称した武霊(ぶれい)王（在位前325～前299）は遊牧民特有の騎馬戦法を採用して諸国に威力を示し、次の恵文(けいぶん)王（在位前298～前266）は都を邯鄲(かんたん)に移し、中山(ちゅうざん)王国を滅ぼし、代(だい)（河北省蔚(うつ)県）から陰山(いんざん)山脈に沿って内モンゴルに至る長城を築いて勢力を誇った。しかし、同時にこのころから秦(しん)の攻撃をしばしば受け、平原君の活躍などにより以後、4代にわたって国を維持したが、前228年に秦に邯鄲を落とされ、前221年に亡命中の王子嘉(か)が殺されて滅亡した。

［太田幸男］

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