日本古代“初子仪式”考辨

A Study of Ancient Japanese "Hatsunesai"

本文据日本正仓院所藏文物及相关文献资料考证认为：日本奈良时代后期（天平宝字二年公元758年）孝谦天皇于奈良内宫举行的“初子祭”（又称初子仪式）乃中国古代“躬耕帝籍”与“躬桑亲蚕”祭祀仪式的联合搬演。它表明了中国礼制文化对日本的传承关系，同时也显示出公元6-8世纪间日本古代政治中强烈的“东方小中华”意识。

Based upon the collection in the Shosoin of Japan and related literature,this article argues that the'hatsunesai'(the ceremony of hatsune)in the late Nara period (Tenpy(?)-h(?)ji 2,i.e.A.D.758)was an transplant combination of the ancient Chinese ceremony called gonggeng dijie(躬耕帝籍,rite in which the king would symbolically cultivate land)and gongsang qincan(躬桑亲蚕,rite in which the queen would symbolically look after the silkworms).Such a fact is an indication of that there was an inheritant connection between the Chinese and Japanese etiquette cultures.In addition,it reflects the intense consciousness in Japanese politics of being'a little China in the East'from the 6th century to the 8th century.