Emperor Yongle

The third emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China (reigned 1402-24). His surname was Zhu and given name Di. He was the fourth son of Emperor Taizu Hongwu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and was given the temple name Taizong, but changed his name to Chengzu during the reign of Emperor Jiajing. The name Yongle Emperor comes from the fact that his reign was called the Yongle era. He was appointed to Beiping (Beijing) at the age of 21, and rose to prominence after becoming King of Yan. He usurped the throne from his nephew, Emperor Jianwen, who succeeded Emperor Taizu (during the Jingnan Incident), and became emperor, moving the national capital to Beijing. His 22-year reign was marked by a spectacular and proactive foreign policy, and was the most dynamic period in Chinese history. He was known as the greatest military emperor in Chinese history, the only Han emperor to personally lead a large army into Mongolia five times, and also embarked on the management of Siberia, expanding his territory from the mouth of the Heilongjiang (Amur River) to Kui (Karafuto), making Tibet a vassal, advancing his forces into Annam, establishing the Jiaozi Province Administration and incorporating it into Chinese territory. In the west, he came into contact with the Timur Empire near Jiayuguan, subjugated the Korean dynasty of the Yi clan on the Korean Peninsula, and appointed the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, as the king of Japan, making Japan a tributary state. Furthermore, to the southern countries, he dispatched large fleets led by Zheng He seven times, and they engaged in active trade from Southeast Asia with over 30 countries along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the east coast of Africa.Thus, through direct military suppression and tributary relations, an international order centered on the Ming Empire was established in the East Asian world in the early 15th century, and it can be said that the Yongle Emperor was its leader.

However, compared to his foreign policy, his achievements in domestic affairs are less impressive. The only notable thing was the compilation of large-scale imperial texts such as the "Yongle Encyclopedia" by imperial order. Moreover, after the Jingnan Rebellion, the execution of influential people close to the Jianwen Emperor and their families was criticized by later generations as the "Yongle Saga." In addition, the heavy use of eunuchs, which stemmed from the guilt of a usurper, and other dark aspects of his domestic affairs cannot be denied. In short, Emperor Yongle used the wealth fostered by Taizu to carry out spectacular foreign activities, but in keeping with his life, he died of illness in Yubokusen (northwest of Duolun County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) on July 28, 1424, on the way back from his fifth personal expedition to Mongolia. His body was buried at the foot of Tianshou Mountain (Changping District, Beijing), 40 kilometers north of Beijing, in his tomb called Changling. In addition, nearby are the tombs of 13 emperors including Emperor Yongle, which are a tourist destination known as the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming.

[Takanobu Terada]

"Emperor Yongle" by Takanobu Terada (1966, Jinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、明(みん)朝第3代の皇帝（在位1402～24）。姓は朱、名は棣(てい)。明朝の創業者である太祖洪武帝の第4子で、廟号(びょうごう)は太宗、嘉靖(かせい)帝のとき改めて成祖。永楽帝の名称は、治世が永楽の年号でよばれたことに基づく。21歳のとき北平（北京(ペキン)）に封ぜられ、燕(えん)王となってから頭角を現し、太祖の後を継いだ甥(おい)の建文帝から位を奪って（靖難の変）帝位につき、国都を北京に移した。その22年にわたる治世は華々しい対外積極政策で飾られ、中国史上もっとも活気にあふれた時代であった。彼は中国史上最高の軍人帝王の評をもち、漢人の皇帝としてはただ1人、自ら大軍を率いて五度もモンゴリアを親征したほか、シベリア経営に乗り出し、黒竜江（アムール川）河口から苦夷(くい)（樺太(からふと)）にまで領土を拡張し、チベットを臣属させ、安南にも兵を進め、交趾(こうし)布政司を設けて中国領土に編入した。西方についても、嘉峪関(かよくかん)付近でティームール帝国と接触し、朝鮮半島では李(り)氏の朝鮮王朝を服従させ、室町幕府の3代将軍足利義満(あしかがよしみつ)を日本国王に封じて、日本を朝貢国とするに至った。さらに南方諸国に対しては、鄭和(ていわ)の率いる大船団を七度も派遣し、東南アジアから、インド洋、ペルシア湾、紅海の沿岸、アフリカ東海岸の三十数か国と活発な貿易を行わせた。こうして15世紀初頭の東アジア世界には、直接の武力制圧、あるいは朝貢関係を通じて、明帝国を中心とする国際的秩序が成立し、永楽帝はその主宰者であったといえる。

　だが、対外政策に比べると、内政面での業績は見劣りがする。『永楽大典』などの大掛りな勅撰(ちょくせん)書の編纂(へんさん)が勅命によって行われたのが目だつ程度である。しかも、靖難の変後、建文帝側近の有力者とその一族に対して行った誅滅(ちゅうめつ)事件は、「永楽の瓜蔓抄(つるまくり)」として後世の非難を受け、また、簒奪(さんだつ)者の後ろめたさに起因する宦官(かんがん)の重用など、内政的には暗さの伴っているのは否定できない。要するに永楽帝は、太祖の育てた財力を利用して華々しい対外活動を繰り広げたのであるが、その生涯にふさわしく、1424年7月28日、モンゴリアへの第五次親征の帰途、楡木川(ゆぼくせん)（内モンゴル自治区多倫(ドロン)県の北西）の地で病没した。遺体は北京の北方40キロメートルにある天寿山麓(さんろく)（北京市昌平区）に葬られ、陵は長陵とよばれている。なお、その付近には永楽帝以下13人の皇帝たちの陵墓群があり、明十三陵として観光地となっている。

［寺田隆信］

『寺田隆信著『永楽帝』（1966・人物往来社）』

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