The Origin of the Idea of Hanization, or Sinicization 漢化

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  • 「漢化政策」來源考
  • 「 カンカ セイサク 」 ライゲンコウ
  • 「漢化政策」来源考

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Abstract

Xiaowendi孝文帝, 6th Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, enforced various policies that have been called Hanhua 漢化, which can be translated as Hanizaion or Sinicization in English. The word Hanhua, or Kanka in its Japanese reading, is in general use and is seen in school textbook and the like. But Hanhua was not found in earlier historical texts. Moreover, recent research has shown that these policies were not intended to bring about Sinicization. This paper aims to clarify where the idea of Hanhua came from. Xiaowendi's reforms were seen by his contemporaries as a restoration of older Chinese dynasties such as the Zhou or the Han. They were not understood in terms of cultural or ethnic matters. After 10th century, this reformation came to be called “yong Xia bian Yi” 用夏變夷, or “change barbarians by Chinese culture.” This phrase shows that Xiaowendi's reformation was recognized as a cultural matter between northern barbarians and central Chinese at that time. This understanding lasted until 20th century. The modern discipline of history come into existence in Japan at the end of 19th century. The first generation of scholars explained Xiaowendi's reformation as a restoration as had contemporaries of Xiaowendi. In the 20th century, Japanese scholars started to use the term Shinaka 支那化 (Sinicization), and then Kanka 漢化 (Hanizaion) after the 1930's. At same time, the term Hanhua also came to be used in China. The influence of the Sino-Japanese war was behind these changes. In this period, both countries were intent on using the concept of the ethnic group 民族. Chinese historians tended to think that Xiaowendi's reformation unified the Chinese empire, but Japanese historians were apt to think of it as weakening the Northern Wei dynasty. Up until the present, evaluations of Xiaowendi's reformation have depended on political policy and diplomacy in each era. The term Hanization may also have been under the influence of the Sino-Japanese war.

Journal

  • 東洋史研究

    東洋史研究 79 (3), 409-442, 2020-12-30

    THE TOYOSHI-KENKYU-KAI : The Society of Oriental Researches, Kyoto University

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