著者

白石 太一郎

出版者

国立歴史民俗博物館

雑誌

国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 (ISSN:02867400)

巻号頁・発行日

no.80, pp.73-95, 1999-03

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墓室の内部の壁画や彫刻などが,何らかの意味でその墓を造営した人びとの他界観・来世観を反映していることはいうまでもない。この小論は,九州の装飾古墳を取り上げ,そこに表現されている絵画や彫刻の意味を追究し,その背景にある人びとの他界観を追究したものである。北・中九州の装飾古墳は,石棺系,石障系,壁画系の順に展開する。このうち5世紀代に盛行する石棺系や石障系の装飾古墳の中心となる図文は,魂を封じ込めたりまた悪しきものから被葬者を護る辟邪の機能をもつと考えられた直弧文と鏡を表わす同心円文である。やがてこれに武器・武具の図文が加わるが,これも辟邪の意味をもつものであった。また直弧文はその弧線の部分を省略した斜交線文となり,その後の装飾古墳で多用される連続三角文へと変化して行く。6世紀になると墓室内部に彩色壁画を描いた壁画系の装飾古墳が出現する。そこでも基本的なモチーフは5世紀以来の辟邪の図文であるが,新しく船や馬の絵が加わる。船のなかには大洋を航海する大船もみられ,舳先に鳥をとまらせたり,馬を乗せたものもみられる。この船と馬は死者ないしその霊魂を来世に運ぶ乗り物として描かれたものであり,海上他界の思想がこの地域の人びとの間に存在したことを物語る。6世紀後半には,一部に四神の図や月の象徴としてのヒキガエルの絵など高句麗など東アジアの古墳壁画の影響もみられるが,それは部分的なものにとどまった。一方,南九州の地下式横穴には,この地下の墓室を家屋にみたてた装飾が多用される。これはこの地域の人びとの間に地下に他界を求める思想があったことを示すものであろう。同じ九州でも北・中部と南部では,人びとの来世観に大きな相違があっことが知られるのであり,北・中九州の海上他界の考えは,海に開かれ,また東アジア諸地域との海上交易に活躍したこの地域の人びとの間で形成されたものと理解できよう。No one doubts that paintings and sculptures in a burial chamber would be a reflection of the views on death and the other world believed in by people who constructed the tomb. In this essay, I intend to discuss the meaning expressed in the paintings and sculptures of decorated tombs in Kyushu. Ultimately, I hope to approach the philosophy on death and the other world that is behind these art pieces. I will show that such philosophy was quite distinct between northern and middle Kyushu and southern Kyushu. In northern and middle Kyushu, while the ways in which tombs were decorated changed over time, the basic philosophy remained the same.The decorated tombs in northern and middle Kyushu evolved from ones characterized by decorated stone coffins, and then to those featured by a decorated stone partitioning wall inside a burial chamber, and finally to those with mural paintings.In the fifth century when decorated stone coffins and partitioning walls were prevalent, the most dominant subjects were chokkomon (combination of straight lines and arcs) and concentric circles. The former is considered to have the function of quelling the evil to confine the soul into the burial chamber and to protect the dead against evil spirit. The latter probably symbolized a mirror. As time passed, designs of weapon and armor were added to the subjects, and these also had the function of quelling the evil. Chokkomon evolved into diagonally intersecting straight lines, losing the arcs. This eventually developed into a pattern of series of triangles that would become common in later decorated tombs.In the sixth century, tombs with mural paintings appeared. The basic motif of the paintings remained that of quelling the evil. At the same time, boats and horses were adopted as subjects. Some of the boats were so large that would be appropriate to sail on the ocean. Birds perched at the bows and horses were on board. These boats and horses were meant to be a vehicle for carrying the soul to the other world. This further suggests that people in the sixth century maintained a view that the other world was located far away over the ocean.In the late sixth century, four directional deities and a toad, which was the symbol of the moon, were adopted to the subjects. The adoption was under the influence of the Asian continent, including Koguryo, but it was minor. However, the attention of the people in northern and middle Kyushu to the ocean in pursuit of their world after death probably resulted from their international interactions.In southern Kyushu underground tunnel tombs were constructed. The underground burial chambers were decorated so that the chambers looked like a residence. People in southern Kyushu sought their world after the death underground.