Litigation Masters and Lawyers during the Late Qing and Republican Periods: Modernity in the History of Chinese Litigation

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03080
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Asia and Africa
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Fuma Susumu 京都大学, 文学研究科, 名誉教授 (10093303)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 訟師 / 訟棍 / 律師 / 弁護士 / 中国 / 清末民初 / 申報 / 龍泉司法档案

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The first research outcome was the publication of my essay entitled “The Growing Prominence of the Perception of Lawyers and Changes in the Perception of Litigation Masters as seen in the Shenbao Newspaper during the Late Qing Period-;From Litigation Master to Lawyer.” The Shenbao Newspaper reveals that the prominence of foreign lawyers in Shanghai prompted a reevaluation of lawyers among Chinese people, which led to support for the argument, far earlier than it occurred in the central government, that China needed lawyers. The essay traces the argument that the overabundance of “pettifoggers” in China could be transformed into lawyers. The second research outcome was a workshop held for Chinese scholars devoted to the issue of the Longquan Judicial Archives. In addition, I conducted a survey of archives related to Baduzhen during the Republican Period that are held at Zhejiang University.

Free Research Field

東洋史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

研究成果の学術的意義の第一は、清末政府が訴訟制度の近代化を図り律師制度を構想するはるか以前に、『申報』では律師（弁護士）の問題について様々に議論されたことを明らかにした点である。問題の一つは伝統的な大量の訟師をどうするかであり、近代律師制度の妨げとなるとしながら、訟師を律師に転用できないかとの議論まであった。また『龍泉司法档案』の重要さに着目し、中国の研究者とワークショップを開き、民国期の国家と社会を究明する上でその重要さをアピールしたことも、おおきな成果である。