Comprehensive research on the acceptance of Confucian funerals in Korea in the 14th and 15th centuries

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00086
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01030:Religious studies-related
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: Shinohara Hirokata 関西大学, 文学部, 教授 (90512707)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 朝鮮 / 韓国 / 朱子学 / 儒教 / 家礼 / 葬 / 墳墓 / 碑

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to examine how Confucian-style funerals were accepted in Korea from the end of the 14th century to the 15th century, I investigated 211 scholar-bureaucrat tombs in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do region with clear dates of death and burial. As a result, stone statues were built around the tombs, and the mounds changed from square to circular in the mid-15th century. A comparison with the "Zhuzi jiali" which stipulated the Confucian funeral method shows that Confucian funerals were partially practiced, such as the filling of lime around the space where the remains are stored, and the funeral period written on tombstones. I found out that it had been done.
On the other hand, there is almost no mention of Confucian funerals among the scholar-bureaucrat class in historical documents, suggesting that it was not a subject of debate. It is thought that the scholar-bureaucrat class placed importance on graves and practiced Confucian burials individually and to the extent possible.

Free Research Field

朝鮮史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

葬礼の変化は、宗教観・死後の世界観に影響を及ぼした結果と言えるが、高麗時代末～朝鮮時代初期の士大夫墓は、『朱子家礼』の完全な模倣ではなく、朝鮮独自の歴史的・文化的な文脈が反映し、変容した姿を見せる。本研究は、近世東アジアに広がった朱子学の文化が、各地でどのように解釈され、現地化していくのかを明らかにする方法の一つであり、東アジア文化の普遍性と独自性を理解し、文化の多様性と共存を助長していく上で示唆するところが多いと考える。日本においては近年、近世大名墓における朱子学の影響に関する研究が進んでいるが、これらとの比較研究にも一定の貢献をなすことが期待される。