Prefectural military system

A military system that was practiced in the Northern Dynasties of China, the Sui and Tang dynasties. It is said to have begun around 550 when the Prime Minister of the Western Wei dynasty, Yuwen Tai, established a military administration in the regions called the Yitongfu and organized the 24 armies from its military soldiers. Originally, the Shogunfu and the Commanderfu from the Later Han dynasty were collectively called the military governments, and the soldiers belonging to each military government were called the various military governments, but in the Sui and Tang dynasties, the various military governments were reorganized, and military administration was separated from the civilian administrative systems of prefectures, counties, and prefectures and placed under direct control of the center. Thus, only the Youyofu (Sui) and the Sesshofu (Tang) were established as permanent military governments in the regions, and their soldiers were called the military soldiers. They were selected from among the peasants, and trained during the off-season. They were required to pay for their own equipment and food, and were assigned the care of military horses. In return, they were exempt from hard labor and taxes during their service. They were led by the Chief of the Military Office, the General of the Elephant (Sui) or the Chief of the Negotiations (Tang), and were sent to the Twelve Guards in the center in rotation, or to the border as defenders. In this way, soldiers were conscripted from a common national body, and the system was perfected during the Tang Dynasty as a system that linked the center, local areas, and borders. However, most of the military offices were concentrated around Chang'an and Luoyang, which resulted in an uneven burden, and the main purpose was domestic security, so border defense and expeditionary forces had to rely on a large number of temporary conscripts. In 749, it became a mere formality and was abolished.

[Hideo Kikuchi]

"The Development of the Prefectural Military System" by Hideo Kikuchi (included in "Iwanami Lectures on World History 5", 1970, Iwanami Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の北朝、隋(ずい)、唐で行われた軍隊制度。550年ごろ西魏(せいぎ)の丞相(じょうしょう)宇文泰(うぶんたい)が地方に儀同府(ぎどうふ)という軍政機関を設け、その府兵をもって二十四軍を組織したのに始まるとされる。もともと後漢(ごかん)以来の将軍府、都督府を軍府と総称し、各軍府所属の兵を某々府兵といったが、隋・唐に至って各種軍府を整理し、軍事行政を民政系統の州、郡、県から切り離して中央直轄とした。こうして地方常設の軍府としては鷹揚(ようよう)府（隋）、折衝(せっしょう)府（唐）だけが置かれることとなり、その兵がすなわち府兵とされた。彼らは農民のなかから一定数を選抜し、農閑期に訓練を施す農民兵で、装備、食料を自弁させ、軍馬の飼養を割り当てるなどするかわり、在役期間中の徭役(ようえき)、租税を免除し、これを軍府の長官たる鷹揚郎将（隋）、折衝都尉（唐）などが率いて中央の十二衛に交替上番させ、あるいは辺境の鎮守に防人として交替で派遣した。こうして全国的共通母体から兵士を徴集し、中央、地方、辺境を一本に結び付ける制度として唐代に完成をみたが、軍府の大半が長安・洛陽(らくよう)周辺に集中して負担が偏り、また国内治安が主目的で、辺境防備や遠征軍は多量の臨時徴募兵に頼らねばならなかった。749年に至り形骸(けいがい)化したため停廃された。

［菊池英夫］

『菊池英夫著『府兵制の展開』（『岩波講座　世界歴史5』所収・1970・岩波書店）』

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