A Study of punishment in early modern China

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01032
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03030:History of Asia and Africa-related
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Tokunaga Yosuke 富山大学, 学術研究部人文科学系, 教授 (10293276)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 高橋 亨 東北大学, 文学研究科, 専門研究員 (20712219) ; 中村 正人 金沢大学, 法学系, 教授 (60237427) ; 中村 覚 東京大学, 情報基盤センター, 助教 (80802743)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 配軍 / 編管 / 羈管 / 充軍 / 律 / 例 / 勅令格式 / 慶元条法事類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study demonstrates that, in the penal system from the Song period onwards, the second most severe punishment after the death penalty took the form of enlisting criminals in the army for labour service in order to both socially isolate them and change their household registration to registration with the armed forces, thereby imposing forced labour on them for life. In other words, so long as the punishment for criminals was limited to forced labour for a definite term, they could be subject to forced relocation but not to a change in their household registration. In addition, the results of this research were made public through an annotated translation of the Qingyuan tiaofa shilei 慶元条法事類 (Classified laws of the Qingyuan era), and efforts were also made to enable researchers both in Japan and abroad to fully utilize the relevant historical sources.

Free Research Field

中国近世史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

(1)宋代以降の刑罰制度に一貫した特徴と各時代に特有の現象を浮き彫りにすることによって、近世中国の法秩序と社会編成との関係の解明に資する。
(2)宋代の法と刑罰、そして司法制度に関して、今後の学問的基準となる概論を提示するとともに、近世中国の法制に関する主要なテキストの分析・校訂、さらに基本語彙の収集・整理を通じて、新たな史料学の構築と内外の研究者が利用可能な環境づくりに貢献できる。