Tomb of Princess Yongtai

One of the Qianling's associated tombs in Qian County, Shaanxi Province, China. This is the tomb of Li Xianhui (684-701), the seventh daughter of the fourth Tang emperor, Li Xian, who is buried with her husband Wu Yanji (c. 680-701). Li Xianhui incurred the wrath of Empress Wu Zetian along with Li Chongrun (682-701, posthumously awarded the title of Prince Yide in 706) and Wu Yanji, and was executed in 701. Later, in 706, she was posthumously awarded the title of Princess Yongtai and was buried with the Qianling's associated tomb in the northern part of the Qianling. Excavations were carried out from 1960 to 1962, with great success.

The mound is a two-tiered square platform, with each side of the lower base measuring approximately 56 meters, not much different in size from the tomb of Prince Yide. Underground, a tomb passage, a cave, a ceiling, a small niche, a passageway, an antechamber, and a rear chamber are lined up from south to north over a total length of 87.5 meters. The walls of the underground facility are decorated with colorful paintings representative of the Tang Dynasty, such as blue dragons, white tigers, warriors, palaces, ceremonial guards, and halberds, and the antechamber and rear chambers are decorated with groups of male and female attendants, as well as diagrams of the sun, moon, and stars. Although the tomb had been looted, over 1,000 grave goods, including tri-colored figurines, ceramics, and gold and silver utensils, have been discovered in the small niches.

[Shozo Tanabe]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、陝西(せんせい)省乾(けん)県にある乾陵(けんりょう)陪葬墓の一つ。唐の4代皇帝中宗李顕(りけん)の七女李仙蕙(りせんけい)（684―701）の墓で、夫の武延基（680ころー701）と合葬されている。李仙蕙は、李重潤(りじゅうじゅん)（682―701。706年懿徳(いとく)太子を追贈される）、武延基らとともに則天武后の怒りを買って701年に死を賜ったが、のち706年に永泰公主を追贈され、乾陵北原に陪葬された。1960年から1962年にかけて発掘調査を実施、多大の成果をあげた。

　墳丘は2段の方形台状をなし、下底の1辺は約56メートルで、懿徳太子墓の墳丘規模と大差ない。地下には全長87.5メートルにわたって墓道、過洞、天井(てんせい)、小龕(しょうがん)、甬道(ようどう)、前室、後室が南から北へ並ぶ。地下施設の各壁面には青竜、白虎(びゃっこ)、武人、闕楼(けつろう)、儀仗(ぎじょう)、戟架(げきか)など、唐代を代表する彩色画が描かれ、前室、後室には男女の侍者群像や日、月、星宿図が配されていた。盗掘を受けていたが、小龕などから三彩俑(さんさいよう)、陶磁器、金銀器など、1000余点の副葬品が発見されている。

［田辺昭三］

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