Studying the Ming Qing Agricultural Book analysed based on the natural environment.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00922
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03010:Historical studies in general-related
• Research Institution: Sophia University
• Principal Investigator: Okawa Yuko 上智大学, 文学部, 准教授 (70609073)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 井黒 忍 大谷大学, 文学部, 准教授 (20387971) ; 大澤 正昭 公益財団法人東洋文庫, 研究部, 研究員 (30113187)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 農書 / 農業史 / 環境史 / 明清農書

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A large number of agricultural books have been left in China.In this study we have carefully read and translated several traditional agricultural books describing the agricultural conditions in southern and northern China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and have published papers on them. In the final year, we held the seminar with agricultural book researchers from Japan, China, and Korea to confirm the nature of agricultural books and to exchange views on future research topics. Traditionally, agricultural books are usually used as readings on production techniques and productivity, but the books categorized as agricultural books include a wide range of topics such as meteorology, divination, medicine, and cooking, in addition to production techniques. Through this study, we were able to "rediscover" the diversity of agricultural books and their potential for future applications in fields other than agricultural history.

Free Research Field

中国史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

農書には生産技術以外の多様な情報が盛り込まれていることを再確認し、農書が農業史研究以外の分野研究に活用できる可能性を指摘した。現在、中国農業史研究に携わる研究者は少ない。その理由の一つに「農書」の扱いにくさがある。本研究では、農書の内容を分析し詳細な注釈を付した日本語訳を複数発表した。これにより中国研究者以外の人々が中国の前近代「農書」の内容に触れることが可能となった。
最終年度に開催した国際シンポジウムでは日本・中国・韓国の農書専門家を集めて学術交流を行い、農書のあり方を確認するとともに、今後の研究課題について意見交換を行った。以上の活動は今後の東アジア農業史研究にとって重要な意味をもつ。