继承与变革——中华法系在日本近世的发展

Continuity and transformation:development of the Chinese legal system in Japan’s early modern period

日本的近世,通常指的是德川幕府时期(1603—1867),亦即江户时代。这一时期法制建设较此前的镰仓时期(1192—1333)、室町时期(1333—1573)、安土桃山时期(1573—1602)有长足发展,这在法律制定的规模化、法律形式的成文化及法典化、法律内容的完备化,以及法律在治国理政中的作用上都有突出的表现,故无论在形式上还是在内容上,都可以看到其受中国法思想和制度的影响,某种程度上是对日本大化改新后“唐化”法制的回归。因此学术界多侧重于强调明清律对日本近世法的作用。然而究其最本质而言,德川法制依然是承袭此前自镰仓时代以来的武家法而来的,以武家精神为本位。不过,即便德川法整体上是武家法,但同样也属于中华法系的范畴。如果对中华法系和中国法能够做出正确的区分,那么会看到,德川法制,恰恰是中华法系在除中国以外的法域发展的常态,即一方面继承中国法的合理精髓,另一方面又根据客观现实情形做出某种变革,从而使得中华法系更具有生命力。

Japan’s early modern period usually refers to the Tokugawa Shogunate era(1603—1867)known as the Edo period.During this period,legal construction made significant progress compared to the preceding Kamakura period(1192—1333),Muromachi period(1333-1573),and Azuchi-Momoyama period(1573-1602).This progress was evident in the scale of legal formulation,codification of legal forms,comprehensiveness of legal content,and the role of law in governance and administration.The influence of the Chinese legal thought and systems was significant in both form and content,reflecting a certain degree of return to the“Tang-style”legal system after Japan’s Taika Reforms.As a result,scholarly attention often emphasizes the influence of Ming-Qing legal systems on Japan’s early modern laws.However,at its core,the Tokugawa legal system was still based on the martial class law that had been in place since the Kamakura period and was rooted in the warrior-class law.Despite that,it still falls within the scope of the Chinese legal system.By making a distinction between the Chinese legal system and Chinese law,it becomes clear that the Tokugawa legal system represents the norm of the development of the Chinese legal system outside of China.It carries on and forward the Chinese law by introducing certain reforms based on actual situations,thereby bringing new vigor and vitality into the Chinese legal system.