The local government of the Xi Xia Kingdom

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K01036
• 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: Morioka College
• Principal Investigator: Sato Takayasu 盛岡大学, 文学部, 教授 (40403026)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 西夏 / 地方行政 / 経略 / 監軍司

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research project aimed to extract and decipher Tangut-language descriptions in administrative and legal documents related to the local government offices of the Xi Xia Kingdom. The objective was to understand the operations of the local government offices and how the Xi Xia attempted to control the region. The Xi Xia divided the region into more than a dozen districts, each of which had a local military department and a number of government offices called “Jing-lue.” The administrative and legal documents revealed that the Jing-lue served as intermediaries for relaying reports and inquiries regarding the personnel matters of military officers from multiple neighbouring local military departments to the central government. The Jing-lue also communicated instructions from the central government to the local military departments, thus functioning as interdepartmental liaisons.

Free Research Field

中央ユーラシア史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

西夏王国が地方を支配するにあたり、征服した地域の在地の有力者を監軍司の幹部に任命していたことは、既存の文献資料や、当研究代表者が石窟寺院の供養人壁画や題記によって明らかにしていたが、本研究によって、西夏の中央政府も「経略」を設置し、官員の人選に関与していたことが新たに判明し、西夏の地方支配を地方分権的に行っていたとは必ずしもなく、中央政府が一定程度の影響力を持っていたことが確認された。本研究課題の成果は、同時代の東アジア・中央ユーラシア諸国家ないしは西夏の後に大帝国を築いたモンゴル帝国の統治体制の研究にも裨益するものとなった。