In ancestral rites, before the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, the status of scholars(士) and below was based on a system defined by etiquette, but after the collapse of the clan system, ancestral rites based on the filial piety system were ...
In ancestral rites, before the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, the status of scholars(士) and below was based on a system defined by etiquette, but after the collapse of the clan system, ancestral rites based on the filial piety system were inevitable in the Han Dynasty. Thus, as the clans differentiated and settled down, the ‘the right of ancestral rites (祖上祭祀權)’, the origin of the tribe that could perform ancestral rites, also came to have its own justification. However, as the clan community collapsed, the right to ancestral rites became a sufficient condition in general society to solidify the roots of ancestors and promote unity among descendants, and this condition began to become stronger as the Warring States Period went on. It can be said that ancestral rites based on kinship relations became more prominent in the Han Dynasty. During the Han Dynasty, the reason for offering ancestral rites to ancestors was as important as faith. So what was highlighted is the concept of ‘defeat disaster and bring good luck’ of the living person that this study focuses on. The reason is, first, the political and Confucian influence derived from the spread of ancestor ancestral rites in the Han Dynasty, and second, it is believed to be an ideological product resulting from the beliefs about ‘Confucian theory of a Natural Disaster(災異說)’ and ‘Prophecy theory. Theory of Yin Yang and Five Elements(讖緯說)’that were popular at the time. It can be seen that the concept of ‘life after death’ and the concept of ‘return to fortune and fortune’ of the living, which were well in line with the policy ideology of the state, functionally promoted the prevalence of ancestral rites. During the Han Dynasty, it is generally thought that a view of death and life was formed by dividing the world into heavenly world and earthly world. In this other world with a dual structure, the spirits of ancestors were the object of ancestral rites, and the spirits recognized the ancestors, who were the beings that determined the ‘fortune’ of descendants, as gods. Therefore, it is believed that the concept of ‘defeating disasters and receiving blessings’ of the living was further spread among the people of the Han Dynasty because the ancestral god functioned as a mediator between the living and the dead. In particular, if we consider the ascension of the dead, posthumous prayers, and the well-being of the living in relation to the death as seen in the early Han Dynasty tomb inscription, the family register system, ‘the right of graves(document)’, the ancestral rites of the later Han period were based on the firmer concept of ‘defeat disaster and bring good luck’ of the living. It can be said that this proves that ancestors had an influence that spread to general society while performing their function as ancestral spirits.