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Ideas About Natural Disasters as the “Natural Course of Things” and “Sango Years” in Ancient and Early Medieval Japan
 
PIIS207987840023889-6-1
DOI10.18254/S207987840023889-6
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Maxim Grachyov 
Affiliation:
State Academic University for the Humanities
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Daria Trukhan
Affiliation: Lomonosov Moscow State University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameISTORIYA
Edition
Abstract

The perception of natural disasters as a manifestation of work of supernatural forces was spread around the world during those periods of history when scientific knowledge was not developed enough to explain the mechanisms of natural phenomena. Japan, due to its geographical features, was regularly prone to all kinds of destructive natural forces, so it was it was touched by these ideas as well. The view on natural disasters as a form of divine retribution from Heaven for “immoral” ruling has been known in Japan since the establishment of the “state based on laws” (ritsuryo kokka), and often appeared in chronical texts. However, with the decomposition of ritsuryo system other views on the causes of catastrophes appeared more frequently in the texts from historical sources. This article is devoted to the consideration of one of these structure-forming conceptions — the idea of occurrence of natural disasters due to “following the principle” (riun), in other words, “the natural course of things”. The concept of “following the principle” is closely related to the onmyodo and “sango years”, when the state was especially exposed to the risk of various calamities. Those terrible years were predicted basing on the movement of astronomical objects and it was said that the catastrophes did not directly depend on the virtue of the ruler or mistakes made by him and his courtiers. The first mention of the “sango years” was in 758, but the idea became widespread only in the IX century, which was connected with the increase of influence of The Bureau of Yin and Yang (Onmyoryo). The study is based on historical sources of various types: chronicles (“Shoku nihongi”, “Nihon sandai jitsuroku”, “Ruiju Kokushi”, “Honcho Seiki”), diaries of court noblemen (“Gonki” by Fujiwara Yukinari) and the tractate on onmyodo (“Gogyo daigi”).

KeywordsJapan, Heian era, natural disasters, sango years, onmyodo, “Gogyo daigi”
AcknowledgmentThe article was executed at the State Academic University for the Humanities (GAUGN) according to the State Assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (topic No. FZNF-2020-0001 “Historical and Cultural Traditions and Values in the Context of Global History”).
Received01.08.2022
Publication date25.12.2022
Number of characters33966
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