松田 亮

In previous studies on the Northern Song dynasty in the capital of Kaifeng 開封, although it has been pointed out that the transformation of the capital space was related to the background of each period, the changes in the lifestyle of the capital residents at various levels have not yet been fully understood. Among them, Shangyuan guandeng 上元觀燈 (lantern festival) or Yuanxiaojie 元宵節 was considered one of the most important annual events at that time. However, Dongjing menghua lu 東京夢華錄, which is the main source of information about the event, cannot be treated as a matter of the entire Northern Song dynasty, and there is room for a reexamination of the view that the monarch enjoyed events together with capital residents. First, although this event was also held in the Tang dynasty, it was not until the Northern Song dynasty that it was finally positioned as a national ritual. In particular, in the early years of the Northern Song, the festival was held for sanyuan 三元, and in Emperor Taizong’s 太宗 reign (990), the periods were consolidated to only shangyuan 上元. Second, in the Early Song, the main site of the event was Xiangguosi 相國寺 Temple except for the gate tower in the imperial palace, but during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong 眞宗, Taoist temples were built in the southeast part of the outer capital, and the scope of worship was similar to that of suburban rituals in the southern suburbs. In other words, Shangyuan guandeng strengthened its character as a national ritual at that time. Third, some events were held without the presence of the emperor. Especially after the reign of Renzong 仁宗 (1033), the scholarofficials who urged the cancellation of the event were aware of the presence of the capital residents and proposed a policy that reflected the current situation in the capital. Through the above discussion, the author concludes that Shangyuan guandeng is not only a demonstration of the prosperity of the capital, but it is also evidence to suggest that the relationship between the emperor and the capital residents, which is related to the temporal and spatial changes of the Northern Song Kaifeng as a whole.