Mingyu Chin - Meigyokuchin

One of the warlords at the end of the Yuan Dynasty in China. A native of Suizhou (Sui County, Hubei Province). He was an ardent follower of the White Lotus faith, and initially fought against the Yuan army as a military commander under Xu Shohui, but after capturing Chongqing (Sichuan Province), he used it as a base to pacify the Sichuan region. Later, after Xu Shohui was killed (1360), he became independent, calling himself "King of Shu," and founded the state of "Da Xia" (1362). He divided the country into eight provinces, established an official system modeled after the Zhou system, and worked to manage the regions by holding imperial examinations, but died of illness after five years on the throne. He was succeeded by his son Ming Sheng, but there were constant conflicts between his generals, and the country's power weakened, and he later surrendered to the expeditionary force sent by Zhu Yuanzhang (the ancestor of the Ming dynasty).

[Noriko Taniguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、元(げん)末群雄の1人。随州(ずいしゅう)（湖北省随県）の人。彼は熱心な白蓮(びゃくれん)教徒で、初め徐寿輝(じょじゅき)の武将として元軍と戦ったが、重慶(じゅうけい)（四川(しせん)省）を陥落させると、ここを根拠に四川地方を平定した。のちに徐寿輝が殺される（1360）と自立して「蜀(しょく)王」と称し、「大夏」国を建てた（1362）。彼は国内を八道に分かち、周制に倣った官制を設け、科挙を行うなど地方の経営に努めたが、在位5年にして病没した。後を子の明昇(めいしょう)が継いだが、部将間に抗争が絶えず、国力が衰え、のち朱元璋(しゅげんしょう)（明(みん)の太祖）の送った征討軍に降服した。

［谷口規矩雄］

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