A Study of "Announcements to the Underworld" (<i>Gaodi ce</i>) Unearthed from Tombs of the Former Han

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  • 前漢墓出土「告地策」考
  • ゼンカンボ シュツド 「 コクチサク 」 コウ

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Abstract

"Announcements to the underworld" (gaodi ce 告地策 or gaodi shu 告地書) are a type of document that was placed in tombs in ancient China, and the number of such documents that have been unearthed from tombs of the Former Han as a result of archaeological excavations during the past thirty to forty years is by no means small. To the best of my knowledge, the following nine such documents have been discovered: bamboo tablet from Former Han tomb no. 1 at Xiejiaqiao 謝家橋 (183 B.C.); wooden tablet from Former Han tomb at Gaotai 高台 (173 B.C.); wooden tablet from tomb no. 3 at Mawangdui 馬王堆 (168 B.C.); wooden tablet from Former Han tomb no. 1 at Maojiayuan 毛家園 (168 B.C.); bamboo tablet from tomb no. 168 at Fenghuangshan 鳳凰山 (167 B.C.); wooden tablet from tomb no.10at Fenghuangshan (158 B.C.); wooden tablet from tomb no. 8 at Kongjiapo 孔家坡 (142 B.C.); wooden tablet from tomb no. 5 at Huchang 胡場 in Hanjiang 邗江 (70 B.C.); and wooden tablet from tomb no. 3 at Guanghua Wuzuo 光化五座 (date unknown).<br>  In view of the fact that these documents are identical in style to the identification papers used by travelers during the Han period, Oba Osamu 大庭脩 once called them "passports to the netherworld" on the assumption that they were used by the deceased when setting out for the underworld. They are, however, fictitious documents and represent one of the mortuary customs prevalent at the time. <br>  An examination of their content and calligraphic style reveals a number of points shared by these documents. With respect to their content, they begin with the date, followed by the name of the applicant, a list of burial goods, the issuing authority, the recipient, etc. As for their calligraphic style, they are written in the standard style employed for practical use at the time, probably because they would generally have been written shortly before the burial, and most of them can be classified as cursive clerical script (caoli 草隷). In this article, I present a list of "announcements to the underworld" that have been unearthed to date with details of their actual condition and undertake a comparative examination of them as well as analyzing the calligraphic style of the script in which they are written.

Journal

  • CALLIGRAPHIC STUDIES

    CALLIGRAPHIC STUDIES 2013 (23), 9-23, 2013

    ASSOCIATION FOR CALLIGRAPHIC STUDIES

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