- 著者
-
久留島 典子
- 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 = Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History (ISSN:02867400)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.182, pp.167-181, 2014-01
戦功を記録し、それを根拠に恩賞を得ることは、武士にとって最も基本的かつ重要な行為であるとみなされており、それに関わる南北朝期の軍忠状等については研究の蓄積がある。しかし戦国期、さらには戦争がなくなるとされる近世において、それらがどのように変化あるいは消失していくのか、必ずしも明らかにされていない。本稿は、中世と近世における武家文書史料の在り方の相違点、共通点を探るという観点から、戦功を記録する史料に焦点をあてて、その変遷をみていくものである。明治二年、版籍奉還直前の萩藩で、戊辰戦争等の戦功調査が組織的になされた。そのなかで、藩の家臣たちからなる軍団司令官たちは、中世軍忠状の典型的文言をもつ記録を藩からの命令に応じて提出し、藩も中世同様の証判を据えて返している。これを、農兵なども含む有志中心に編成された諸隊提出の戦功記録と比較すると、戦死傷者報告という内容は同一だが、軍忠状という形式自体に示される儀礼的性格の有無が大きな相違点となっている。すなわち幕末の藩や藩士たちは、軍忠状を自己の武士という身分の象徴として位置付けていたと考えられる。ではこの軍忠状とは、どのような歴史的存在なのか。恩賞給与のための軍功認定は、当初、指揮官の面前で口頭によってなされたとされる。しかし、蒙古襲来合戦時、恩賞決定者である幕府中枢部は戦闘地域を遠く離れた鎌倉におり、一方、戦闘が大規模で、戦功認定希望者も多数にのぼったため、初めて文書を介した戦功認定確認作業がおこなわれるようになったという。その後、軍事関係の文書が定式化され、戦功認定に関わる諸手続きが組織化されていった結果が、各地域で長期間にわたって継続的に戦闘が行われた南北朝期の各種軍事関係文書であったとされる。しかし一五世紀後半にもなると、軍事関係文書の中心は戦功を賞する感状となり、軍忠状など戦功記録・申告文書の残存例は全国的にわずかとなる。ところがその後、軍忠状や頸注文は、室町幕府の武家故実として、幕府との強い結びつきを誇示したい西国の大名・武士たちの間で再び用いられ、戦国時代最盛期には、大友氏・毛利氏などの戦国大名領国でさかんに作成されるようになった。さらに豊臣秀吉政権の成立以降、朝鮮への侵略戦争で作成された「鼻請取状」に象徴されるように、戦功報告書とその受理文書という形で軍功認定の方式は一層組織化された。関ヶ原合戦と二度の大坂の陣、また九州の大名家とその家臣の家では、近世初期最後の戦争ともいえる島原の乱に関する、それぞれ膨大な数の戦功記録文書が作成された。この時期の軍忠状自体は、自らの戦闘行動を具体的に記したもので、儀礼的要素は希薄である。しかもそれらは、徳川家へ軍功上申するための基礎資料と、恩賞を家臣たちに配分する際の根拠として、大名の家に留めおかれ管理・保管された。やがてこうした戦功記録は、徳川家との関係を語るきわめて重要な証拠として、現実の戦功認定が終了した後も、多くの武家で、家の由緒を示す家譜等に編纂され、幕府自体も、こうした戦功記録を集成していくようになった。以上のように、戦功記録の系譜を追ってくると、戦功を申請し恩賞に預かるというきわめて現実的な目的のために出現した軍忠状が、その後、二つの方向へと展開していったことが指摘できる。一つは事務的手続き文書としての機能をより純化させ、戦功申告書として、申請する側ではなく、認定する側に保管されていく方向である。そしてもう一つは、「家の記憶」の記録として、家譜や家記に編纂され、一種の由緒書、つまり記念し顕彰するための典拠となっていく方向である。最初に考察した幕末萩藩の軍忠状も、戦功の記録が戦国時代から近世にかけて変化し、島原の乱で、ある到達点に達した、その系譜のなかに位置づけられる。そしてこのことは同時に、近代以降の軍隊が、中世・近世武士のあり方から執拗に継受していった側面をも示唆するといえる。It is commonly considered that after distinguished war service or performing acts of valor, their recording and the acquiring of rewards in recognition are the most fundamental and important practice of a bushi ( warrior) , and many studies have been conducted on gunchujo ( requests for recognition of military success and heroic deeds) made during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (1336–1392) . However, it has not been completely clarified how gunchujo changed, disappeared, and reappeared during the period of the Warring States (1493–1590) and later were used in early-modern times during which internally Japan was at peace. To explore both the differences and common points found in documents from the archives of samurai families of the medieval period and early-modern times, this paper focuses on historical materials that record meritorious service in war and examines changes to their content, style and the system of application.In 1869, just before the return of the han ( domain) registers to the Meiji Emperor, a survey on military exploits in the Boshin War and other wars was systematically conducted among samurai families in the Hagi han. In compliance with the directions given by the han, the chief retainers submitted records with phrasing typical of medieval period gunchujo. The han then returned these records to the samurai with a seal of proof similar to those used in the medieval period. When these records are compared with other records of military exploits submitted by volunteer corps including peasant soldiers, war casualties and war dead are commonly described, but a significant distinction is whether they were written in the typical format and style of gunchujo or not. In other words, it can be considered that han and retainers in the closing days of the Tokugawa Shogunate positioned gunchujo as a symbol of their rank as bushi.Now the question arises: What is the historical meaning of this gunchujo? According to the historical sources, in early times the reporting and acknowledgement of martial exploits to receive rewards was made verbally in the presence of a commander. However, during the battles of the Mongol Invasions (1274 and 1281) , the Shogunate government who were the arbitrators of rewards resided in Kamakura, far from the battle area. The battles were on a large scale and the number of bushi wishing acknowledgement of military exploits numerous; therefore, for the first time bureaucratic work to confirm acknowledgement of military exploits by means of documents was carried out. Afterward, documents related to military affairs were standardized, and procedures concerning acknowledgement of military exploits were systematized, consequently becoming those documents on military affairs used during the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in which battles were fought in many regions over a prolonged period.In the late 15th century, however, most documents on military affairs changed to a simple citation to praise military exploits, and throughout Japan the remaining examples of gunchujo and other documents to record and report military exploits significantly decreased. Later, however, daimyo (feudal lords) and bushi in the western part, who wanted to display their strong connection with the Shogunate, started to use gunchujo and kubichumon again, reviving the old customs and manners of samurai families of the Muromachi Shogunate, and in the high season of the Warring States period, they were increasingly drawn up in the domains of the Otomo and Mori clan warlords.Moreover, after the establishment of the Hideyoshi administration, a system to acknowledge military exploits was further refined in the form of a military exploit report and a document confirming its acceptance, as symbolized by hana uketorijo (the nose receipt documents) issued during the attempted conquest of Korea. After the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) , and the two Sieges of Osaka (1614 and 1615) , a massive amount of military exploit record documents were created; the Shimabara Uprising (1637–1638) , which is regarded as the last battle in the beginning of earlymodern times, also gave rise to numerous gunchujo created by "outside" daimyo families and their retainer families in Kyushu. Gunchujo at this period specifically described details of a bushi's military action and deeds, and formal elements are minimal. In addition, these documents were kept, managed, and stored in the residence of a daimyo as a basic material to report military exploits to the Tokugawa family, as well as to provide evidence for the allocation of rewards to retainers. In due course, even after the formal completion of the actual acknowledgement procedure, many samurai families came to collect their military exploit records and incorporated them into their family tradition and history as very important evidence confirming their relation with the Tokugawa family. The Shogunate as well came to compile such records of military exploits.As described above, by following the genealogy of military exploit records, it has been found that gunchujo, which first appeared for the very practical purpose of acclaiming military exploits and receiving rewards, subsequently developed in two directions. In one direction their function as a document for administrative procedure was further refined, and they came to be kept as a record of an application by the side granting acknowledgement, not by the side making the application; and in the other direction they were absorbed into the family tradition as a "memory of the family," becoming a kind of physical verification to be handed down through the generations, in other words, a reliable source for honoring and commemorating the memory of a family's ancestors.The gunchujo of the Hagi han in the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate can also be positioned in a genealogical record where the record of military exploits changed from the Warring States period through to early-modern times, and reached the end with the Shimabara Uprising. One can safely state that this also suggests an aspect whereby the military soldier of modern times tenaciously carried on the mores of medieval and early-modern bushi.