律令制确立前的采女与日本古代王权

Uneme before the Establishment of Ritsuryo System and Ancient Japanese Monarchy

采女是日本古代地方豪族献给中央朝廷的贡女,是在宫廷主要负责天皇、皇后等饮食起居的下级女官。律令制国家时期的采女制度亦是后宫女官制度不可或缺的一部分,有些采女甚至被升为贵族阶层。然而律令制确立之前的采女并非如此,她们是古代王权专制过程中的产物,是连接中央朝廷与地方豪族之间的桥梁,其出现与演变体现了王权与地方势力双方博弈的过程。对该时期采女的考察,有助于从一个侧面加深对古代王权专制统治的认识。

Uneme（court ladies） were tributes paid by local powerful clans to the central government in ancient Japan, and also subordinate female officers who were mainly responsible for the daily life of Mikado and Empress in court. The uneme system in the Ritsuryo period was also an indispensable part of the female official system, and some uneme were even raised to be nobilities. However, uneme before the establishment of the Ritsuryo system were different. They were the products of ancient monarchy autocracy, and served as a link between the central government and local powerful clans. Their emergence and evolution gave expression to the game between royal power and local forces. The study of uneme would deepen the understanding of ancient monarchy autocracy from another perspective.