Prince Shotoku and Article seventeen of the Constitution /聖徳太子と十七条の憲法 No.3

日本語は英語の下にあります。
Do you know why Japan is called “the Land of the Rising Sun”?
The most famous theory is because of Prince Shotoku’s political achievements.

First, let’s see the geographical situation surrounding Japan around when Prince Shotoku became a regent.

In 589 A.D., the Sui dynasty dominated the whole of China.
There were Goguryeo, Paekche and Silla kingdoms in the Korean Peninsula.
The Paekche and Silla kingdoms chose a tributary relationship and received the title of “King”, while the Goguryeo kingdom fought against the Sui dynasty.
Japan had observed silently which path our country had to choose.
Surprisingly, the Goguryeo kingdom won the war four times from 598 to 614 A.D.

Next, we are going to talk about what Japan did.
Prince Shotoku’s aunt ascended the throne as the first female Tennoo, Empress Suiko, in 593A.D..
On the other hand, Prince Shotoku became a regent and he supported the foreign diplomacy.

Prince Shotoku dispatched Japanese official diplomatic delegations to the Sui dynasty (China) in 600 A.D..
He realized that Japan’s political system was not systematic enough to build an equal relationship with the Sui dynasty.
So, he rushed to develop the political system.

First, he implemented the system to rank officials into 12 levels so that skilled people could be promoted regardless of their birth in 603 A.D..
Second, he enacted Article 17 of the Constitution which was the oldest Japanese law in existence since 604A.D..

And then, he dispatched Japanese official diplomatic delegations again bringing a sovereign letter from Empress Suiko in 607A.D..
The letter started with the following statement, “the Emperor(Tenshi) of the Land of the Rising Sun is writing this to the Emperor (Tenshi) of the Land of the Setting Sun. I hope everything is going well with you.”
The rising sun means east, while setting sun means west.

There are two purposes of this letter.
First is to build an equal relationship with the Sui dynasty.
Second is to learn Buddhism from them.

According to Sinocentrism, there is only one Emperor (Tenshi) in the world.
China is in the center of the world and all the other races are recognized as barbarians.

Prince Shotoku intentionlly used the same name “Tenshi” for Japan’s Emperor to built an equal relationship with the Sui dynasty.
He predicted that the Sui dynasty could not reject this letter.
If the Sui dynasty rejected the letter, Japan would change its affiliation.
Japan would seek affiliation with the Goguryeo kingdom.
This would devastate the Sui dynasty.

His tactical diplomatic skill was remarkable and amazing.
As he expected, Wen of the Sui Dynasty sent a state ambassador to Japan.

Since Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was known to the person who recovered Buddhism in China, Japan requested him to learn Buddhism by dispatching Buddhist monks.

According to the Buddhist belief, there is the world after death to the west called “the Land of Happiness”.
Calling the Sui Dynasty as the Land of the Setting Sun, meaning west, it might be proclaimed that the Sui Dynasty was equal to the Buddhism’s paradise.
Unfortunately, Emperor Wen had been killed by his son, Emperor Yang when the letter arrived.
Luckily, Buddhist monks had started being dispatched to the Sui Dynasty since after the year 608 A.D.
Thanks to this sovereign letter, two purposes were perfectly completed.

The starting statement in another sovereign letter sent in 608 A.D. changed like this. “Tenno(Japanese Emperor) in the east is politely writing this to Kotei (Chinese Emperor) in the west.”

Prince Shotoku chose the original term “Tenno” for the Japanese Emperor to avoid using “Tenshi” and “King”. Because “King” was used as the symbolic term for a tributary nation. （There is a theory that Tenno indicates the Polaris, northern star.）

Since the relationship between Japan and the Sui dynasty were going well after that, the Sui dynasty seemed to have accepted this name.

Japan became one of a few independent countries among the Eastern Asia. Thanks to Prince Shotoku’s resolute attitude.

Finally, here are the Articles 6 to 8 from Article 17 of the Constitution.

Article 6

To punish the bad and encourage the good is a good lesson from the ancient period.
So, good deeds should not be hidden and bad deeds must be rectified.
If there are people who use flattery and deceive others, they would be like sharp weapons to destroy the nation (country) and sharp swords to cut the ties of race.
Also, people who butter up explain well about their subordinates’ mistakes to their supervisors. And they disgrace their supervisors about its failures to their subordinates.
All the people like those mentioned above have neither loyalty for the emperor nor love for the nations (people).
It would cause a huge chaos.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
六曰　懲惡勸善　古之良典　是以无匿人善　見悪必匡　其諂詐者　
則爲覆國家之利器爲絶人民之鋒劔亦佞媚者對上則好説下過
逢下則誹謗上失其如此人皆无忠於君无仁於民是大亂之本也。

Article 7

Each person has a role.
Fulfilling a role should not be confusing.
When the enlightened person is assigned to an official position, the nation chant a hymn to celebrate its prosperous politics.
When the insincere person is assigned to the same position, calamities and rebellions occur a lot.
Although there are a few people who have moral principle by nature, continuing to have it in mind makes person a sage.
Matters are neither big nor small.
When the right person runs the government, matters are solved smoothly.
Time is neither fast nor slow.
If an enlightened person is able to manage the time, time seems to be enough.
With the right person, the nation is stable forever and the deities of the land and food are also secured.
That’s why an ancient king needs a suitable person for an official position and he dose not want to create an official position for somebody he knows.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
七曰　人各有任　掌宜不濫　其賢哲任官　頌音則起　姧者有官　
禍亂則繁　世少生知　剋念作聖　事無大少　得人必治　時無急緩　
遇賢自寛　因此國家永久　社禝勿危　故古聖王　爲官以求人　爲人不求官

Article 8

The officials who work for the emperor should come to work early in the morning and get home late.
Since all the government practices and imperial ceremonies should be conducted impeccably, it’s difficult to finish everything even for one whole day.
So, when you come to work late, you don’t have enough time to catch up.
When you get home early, you surely don’t finish the tasks.

The original one from Nihon-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan;
八曰　群卿百寮　早朝晏退　公事靡盬　終日難盡　是以遲朝　不逮于急　早退必事不盡

What do you think?
Japan mentioned ourselves “the Land of Rising Sun” for the first time in 607A.D.
Is it interesting?

It would be great if the today’s prime minister would learn something from Prince Shotoku’s tactical diplomatic skills.
Comments below!

To be continued…
Go to Article seventeen of the Constitution

Go back to no.2

【Translation for language learners of either English or Japanese】/英語・日本語学習者向け翻訳えいご　・　　にほんごがくしゅうしゃむ　　ほんやく

日本がなぜ「日出づる国」と呼ばれるかご存知ですか。
最も有名な説に、聖徳太子の業績だというものがあります。

まず、聖徳太子が摂政となった当時の地理的状況を確認してみましょう。
589年に隋が中国全土を統一しました。
朝鮮半島には、高句麗と、百済、新羅がありました。
百済と新羅は、朝貢関係を選び王という称号を得た一方で、高句麗は隋と戦っていました。
日本は、どっちの道を選ぶべきか静観していました。
驚くべきことに、高句麗は598年から614年までの交戦で4回勝っています。

次に、日本がどうしたかについて話しましょう。
聖徳太子の叔母が、593年に初の女性天皇として即位されました。
一方で、聖徳太子は摂政となり、外交を助けました。

聖徳太子は、600年に遣隋使を派遣しました。
そこで、日本は隋と対等な外交関係を結ぶに十分な組織的な政治制度を備えていないことを思い知らされました。
そこで、彼は政治制度の発展を急ぎました。
まず、出自によらず才能のある者が出世できる冠位十二階の制度を603年に実施しました。
次に、604年に日本現存最古の法である十七条の憲法を制定しました。

それから、改めて607年に国書を携えた遣隋使を派遣します。
国書は次の一文から始まります。

「日出づる処の天子　書を日没する処の天子に致す　つつがなきや」

日出づる処とは東、日没する処とは西を意味します。
国書の目的は2つありました。隋と対等な外交結ぶことと仏教を学ぶことです。
中華思想によれば、中華の天子は世界で一人だけで、中国が世界の中心であり、他の民族は野蛮だとされています。
聖徳太子は、対等の関係を築こうと、敢えて同じ「天子」を日本の天皇にも使いました。
聖徳太子は、隋は高句麗との戦いに苦戦していたので、この国書を拒否できないであろうと読んでいました。「もし隋が国書を拒否したら、日本は連携先を変え、高句麗と手を結ぶだろうし、それは、隋にとっては打撃となるだろう。」と。
戦略的な外交手腕に聖徳太子の素晴らしさが伺えます。
予期した通り、隋の煬帝は国使を遣わしました。

文帝は仏教を中国で再興した人物として知られていたので、日本は、留学僧を派遣し仏教を学びたいと要望したのです。
仏教では、西方に”極楽浄土”と呼ばれる死後の世界があると信じています。
敢えて隋を西の国と呼ぶことで、仏教の聖地のように称えたのかもしれません。
残念なことに国書が届けられた時既に、文帝は息子の煬帝に殺されてしまっていました。
幸いにも、翌年から留学僧の派遣が始まっています。
つまり、2つの目的を完遂したのです。

608年に送られた国書では、「東の天皇つつしみて西の皇帝にもうす」となっています。
聖徳太子は、属国の象徴である「王」でもなく、天子でもなく、独自の呼称「天皇」を使用したのです。
（天皇は、北極星（天の中心）を意味するという説もあります。）
その後も国交が続いていたことは、それが受け入れられたことを示しています。

大国を相手とした聖徳太子の毅然とした態度のお陰様、日本は東アジアの中で数少ない独立国になれました。

それでは最後に、憲法十七条から第６条から第８条までを見ておきましょう。

　六に曰はく、悪を懲こらし善を勧むるは、古の良よき典なり。是を以て人の善を慝かくすこと無く、悪を見ては必ず匡ただせ。若し諂へつらひ詐あざむく者は、則ち国家を覆すの利器たり。人民を絶つ鋒剣たり。亦侫おもねり媚こぶる者は、上に対むかひては則ち好みて下の過を説き、下に逢ひては則ち上の失を誹謗す。其れ此の如き人は、皆君に忠无なく民に仁無し。是れ大きなる乱の本なり。

　七に曰はく、人に各おのおの任あり。宜しく掌つかさどること濫みだれざるべし。其れ賢哲、官に任ずときは、頌音ほむるこゑ則ち起り、奸者かんじゃ、官を有たもつときは、禍乱則ち繁し。世に生れながら知ること少けれども、尅よく念おもひて聖を作なせ。事大小と無く、人を得て必ず治む。時急緩と無く、賢に遇ひて自おのづから寛ゆるやかなり。此に因て国家永久、社稷しやしよく危きこと無し。故に古の聖王、官の為に以て人を求む、人の為に官を求めたまはず。