World - Tenka

The Chinese world view is that the Son of Heaven (Tenshi) who receives the command of Heaven rules the world under heaven. In Japan, the gold inlaid iron sword unearthed at the Inariyama Kofun in Saitama Prefecture bears the inscription "Amenoshita Shiroshimesu Wakatakeru no Ookimi" (471, with the Chinese zodiac sign "Shin-hai" inscribed on it), and the silver inlaid sword unearthed at the Etafunayama Kofun in Kumamoto Prefecture also bears the word "Tenka" (ruling the world), and by the latter half of the 5th century, the political ideology regarding Tenka had been accepted. However, Wakoku at that time had a tributary relationship with the Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasty of China, and so Wakoku ruled Tenka under the rule and sovereignty of China. The usage of "chitenka" in Japan was historically premised on the rule of foreign countries such as Baekje and Silla. The term "chitenka daiou" was later changed to "ame no shita shiroshi me susumera mikoto" in the Ritsuryo Code.

[Takehiko Yoshimura]

A term that expresses a unique worldview invented in ancient China. It refers to the entire world ruled by "Heaven" as the supreme personal god, and at the same time, it refers to the world (royal land) ruled by a virtuous ruler who became the Son of Heaven by the mandate of Heaven and governed in place of "Heaven" (therefore, originally "Tenka" and "Royal Land" were never opposing concepts). However, it was thought that if an immoral Emperor appeared and forgot to govern with benevolence, and carried out politics that made the people suffer, the Mandate of Heaven would be changed, a new Emperor would appear, and the world of Tenka would be reorganized (Ekisei Kakumeiron). As mentioned above, the word "Tenka" has been used in Japan since ancient times, but from the Middle Ages onwards, in the era of samurai government, the samurai advocated the idea of ​​"Tenka" or "Tendo (heaven)" from the viewpoint of the public nature of the government, confronting the imperial court (nobles) forces that unilaterally made royal authority and sovereignty absolute through the idea of ​​kingship, and justifying the movement of overthrowing the ruling class and the establishment and replacement of samurai governments. In particular, during the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods, it became a popular term to refer to all of Japan, Kyoto, which was the base for national domination, and the sovereigns of the Azuchi-Momoyama government.

[Tadashi Ishige]

"Ishimoda Tadashi, 'Ancient Japanese Nation Theory, Part 1' (1973, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Yoshimura Takehiko, 'The Birth of the Ancient Emperors' (1998, Kadokawa Shoten)" ▽ "Ishige Tadashi, 'Thoughts of the Warring States and Azuchi-Momoyama Periods' (included in Ishida Ichiro's 'Systematic Japanese History Series 23, Thought History II', 1976, Yamakawa Publishing)" ▽ "Nagahara Keiji, 'The Ruler of the Nation' (included in Asao Naohiro et al.'s 'Authority and Control', 1987, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Ishige Tadashi, 'Political Thoughts of the Azuchi-Toyotomi Government' (included in Fujino Tamotsu's 'The Establishment of the Azuchi-Toyotomi Government', 1994, Yuzankaku)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

天の命を受けた天の子（天子）が、天の下(あめのした)を統治するという中国的な世界観。日本では埼玉県の稲荷山古墳(いなりやまこふん)出土の金錯銘(きんさくめい)鉄剣に「治天下獲加多支鹵大王(あめのしたしろしめすわかたけるのおおきみ)」（銘文に「辛亥(しんがい)年」の干支がある。471年）、また熊本県の江田船山古墳(えたふなやまこふん)出土の銀錯銘(ぎんさくめい)大刀にも「治天下」の語がみえ、5世紀後半までに天下に関する政治思想を受容していた。ただし、当時の倭国(わこく)は中国南朝の宋(そう)と冊封(さくほう)関係を結んでおり、中国の天下支配のもと、倭国の支配・統治権のなかで天下を治めたことになる。日本における「治天下」の用法は、百済(くだら)・新羅(しらぎ)などの蕃国(ばんこく)に対する支配が歴史的前提となっていた。「治天下大王」の表記は、のちの律令法で「御宇天皇(あめのしたしろしめすすめらみこと)」に変わった。

［吉村武彦］

　古代中国で創案された独特の世界観を表す語。至上の人格神としての「天」が支配する全世界であると同時に、天命を受けて天子となった有徳(うとく)の為政者が「天」にかわって統治する世界（王土）を意味する（したがって本来「天下」と「王土」は決して対立概念ではなかった）。ただし不徳の天子が現れ撫民仁政(ぶみんじんせい)を忘れ、人民を苦しめるような政治をすれば、天命が革(あらた)まって新天子が登場し、天下的世界は再編成されるものと考えられた（易姓革命論(えきせいかくめいろん)）。「天下」の語は日本でも上述のように古代から使われているが、中世以降武家政権の時代になると、武家は政権の公共性という見地から「天下」思想や「天道（天）」思想を標榜(ひょうぼう)し、王土思想によって一方的に王威・王権を絶対化する朝廷（公家）勢力と対決したり、下剋上(げこくじょう)の運動や武家政権の成立・交替などを正当化した。とくに戦国・安土桃山時代には日本全国、全国制覇の拠点となった京都、織豊政権の主権者などをさす流行語となった。

［石毛　忠］

『石母田正著『日本古代国家論　第1部』（1973・岩波書店）』▽『吉村武彦著『古代天皇の誕生』（1998・角川書店）』▽『石毛忠著「戦国・安土桃山時代の思想」（石田一良編『体系日本史叢書23　思想史Ⅱ』所収・1976・山川出版社）』▽『永原慶二著「天下人」（朝尾直弘他編『権威と支配』所収・1987・岩波書店）』▽『石毛忠著「織豊政権の政治思想」（藤野保編『織豊政権の成立』所収・1994・雄山閣）』

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