Wang Zhaojun - Oushoukun

Date of birth and death unknown. A palace lady of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty (reigned 49-33 BC). Her name was Shao, and her pen name was Zhaojun. She is known for being married off to the king of the Xiongnu in 33 BC as part of a policy of peace and friendship. The northern nomadic leader, the Xiongnu, split internally during the reign of Emperor Xuan (reigned 74-49 BC) into two factions, Zhizhi Chanyu and Huhanye Chanyu, and Huhanye surrendered to the Western Han and came to the court calling himself a vassal. During the next reign of Emperor Yuan, Zhizhi was attacked and killed by the Han army. Huhanye came to the court again at this time and requested, "I would like to become the son-in-law of the Han clan and defend the northern border. I would like to be granted a woman from the harem." In response, Emperor Yuan bestowed upon her the title of Wang Zhaojun. According to the Book of the Later Han, even though she was selected to enter the harem, Emperor Yuan did not pay her any attention for many years, and so she asked to marry the Xiongnu herself. When Emperor Yuan saw Wang Zhaojun for the first time after the engagement was decided, he was astonished by her beauty and was reluctant to let her go. As Huhanye's wife, she was called Ninghu Yaoshi, and gave birth to one son. After the death of the Chanyu, in accordance with the customs of the Xiongnu, she became the wife of the wife's son, the next Chanyu, Fuzhu Lei, and gave birth to two daughters, and spent the rest of her life in Xiongnu land. This tragic story of Wang Zhaojun was widely passed down to later generations, and a false image different from the historical facts was created in literary works. Among them, the play Autumn in the Han Palace by Ma Zhiyuan of the Yuan Dynasty is said to be the greatest masterpiece.

[Akira Kasugai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。中国、前漢の元帝（在位前49～前33）の宮女。名は嬙(しょう)、昭君は字(あざな)。紀元前33年、和親政策のため匈奴(きょうど)の王に嫁がされたことで知られる。北方遊牧民の雄、匈奴は、宣帝時代（在位前74～前49）になると、郅支単于(しっしぜんう)と呼韓邪(こかんや)単于の両勢力に内部分裂を起こし、呼韓邪は前漢に投降、自ら臣と称して来朝してきた。次の元帝時代には郅支が漢軍の攻撃を受けて敗死する。このときふたたび来朝した呼韓邪は「漢氏の壻(むこ)（婿）となって自分が北辺の守りにあたりたい。後宮の女を下賜してほしい」と希望した。それにこたえて元帝が与えたのが王昭君である。『後漢書(ごかんじょ)』によれば、彼女は選ばれて後宮に入ったにもかかわらず元帝から何年も顧みられず、自ら匈奴に嫁すことを望んだという。話が決まってから王昭君を初めて見た元帝は、その美しさに大いに驚き手放すのを惜しんだ。呼韓邪の妻として寧胡閼氏(ねいこえんし)とよばれ、1男を生み、単于の死後は匈奴の風習に従って、本妻の子で次の単于の復株累(ふくしゅるい)の妻となり、2女を生んで匈奴の地で一生を終えた。この王昭君哀話は後世広く伝承され史実とは異なる虚像が文学作品につくられていった。なかでも元の馬致遠(ばちえん)の戯曲『漢宮秋(かんきゅうしゅう)』が最高の傑作といわれる。

［春日井明］

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