REKIHAKU

No.119 A Witness to History

Ink rubbings of Chinese stone carvings

These pictorial stone carvings have been engraved in stone on the walls of underground tombs and depict a variety of scenes that date from the latter part of the Han Period (25-220AD) in China. These drawings were often recorded by making ink rubbings because they were usually lightly etched into stone. This method of making ink rubbings involved covering the surface engraved with letters and drawings with thin paper that has been moistened. Then, before the paper dries a special stiff brush dipped in ink is used to tap the paper into the crevices and indentations, which then appear on the paper. Since the stone pictures have been carved using fine lines, the contrast between the black ink and white paper makes it possible to emphasize lines, and in many cases the impression that is made is clearer than that of a photograph.

The National Museum of Japanese History has the following ink rubbings of Chinese stone carvings in its possession: a collection of original rubbings of Han Dynasty reliefs from Shandong Province; a collection of original rubbings of Han Dynasty reliefs from Shanbei; rubbings of senkokuga (line-carved pictures) on a sarcophagus found in the Tang Zhongzong Empress Wei family tombs; line-carved pictures of the Sui and Tang Dynasties; a collection of selected Han sentakuhen reliefs of Henan Province; and Han rubbings of reliefs from a tomb in Beizhai village, Yi'nan Prefecture, Shandong Province.

The themes of the drawings are varied and depict scenes from everyday life, the accomplishments of the deceased, singing and dancing performed for entertainment, banquets, parades of horse-drawn carriages, court, hunting, historical events, the world of myths, and Daoist mysticism. They are, therefore, precious historical records that inform us about cultural life in China at the time in which they were made. In this article, I would like to introduce the ink rubbings of stone reliefs from Beizhai village, Yi'nan Prefecture in Shandong Province (referred to hereafter as the Yi'nan rubbings).

The Yi'nan tomb with stone reliefs was discovered in China's Shandong Province. It is believed that the carvings were made some time during the end of the latter Han Period. The tomb was built underground and measures 8.7 meters north to south and 7.5 meters from east to west. The tomb was made from 280 stone blocks and is divided into front, middle and rear chambers. There are side chambers off the front and middle chambers, and there is even a water closet built near the rear chamber.

There are 73 drawings in total, and the drawings in each chamber follow a particular theme. In the front chamber the drawings on the walls depict various mythical beasts and mystics that appear in myths and in Daoist mysticism. The drawings on the walls of the middle chamber depict banquets, parades of horse-drawn carriages, and historical events. The pictures in the rear chamber depict scenes from everyday life, such as maidservants, water closets and furniture.

Figure 1: The person to whom the tomb is dedicated directs a battle scene.

Scenes from the life of the deceased

Directly at the front entrance of the tomb there are pictures depicting battle scenes (Figure 1). Although pictures of battle scenes are found in stone carvings in other tombs besides the Yi'nan tomb, different locations, they all contain scenes depicting battles between locals and the equestrian tribes such as Hsiung-nu from the north.

There is a bridge in the center of the carving, and on the left side of the bridge there is a scene of an equestrian tribe wearing hats with pointed tips attacking, while on the right side Han soldiers are shown making a counterattack. The soldiers on the left attack by shooting arrows while on horseback, whereas the Han soldiers are using swords to fight. On the left side of the bridge there is a realistic depiction of a head of a horseman, which has been cut off by a Han soldier, flying through the air. It is believed that the man in the carriage on the right side of the bridge who is directing the soldiers is the person to whom the tomb is dedicated.

Figure 2: Banquet with musical performance

The drawings in Figure 2 show scenes from banquets from that time. A band playing music is surrounded by various performances, including acrobatics, dancing and circus acts. For example, on the left end of the drawing there is an acrobatic act in progress where a number of knives are being thrown, which are caught by someone who catches them while balancing various objects on his/her head. In the picture below that there is a scene of dancing above a row of dishes. Near the center of the picture, there is a scene of tightrope walking. Below that there is a row of swords that are upside down. The drawings on the right side show horses racing with people exhibiting various skills while standing on the horses' backs.

Figure 3: Food being prepared for a banquet

Figure 3 shows the preparation of food for a banquet. A grain store is depicted at the left of the picture, and the scene of people carrying the grain out of the storehouse shows that there has been a bountiful harvest. The piles situated in front of the storehouse are most likely to be piles of wheat and two types of millet.
The scenes on the right side of the drawing show various food ingredients being cooked. Slightly to the right of the center of the drawing there are two people carrying a pig skewered on a stick who are about to enter a kitchen. On their right, a cow is about to be butchered. On the far right is a kitchen, and though there are steamers and pans for boiling food, there are no woks for frying food. The reason for this is that woks made from iron used for frying didn't become commonplace until the 12th century.

Figure 4: The deceased going out from his home

Figure 4 depicts a parade of horse-drawn carriages and a scene of people who have come out to enjoy the entertainment. The carriage that is second from the right with a parasol tied to it is the carriage of the deceased.

Figure 5 is thought to show intimate details of the life of the deceased. On the upper level there is a picture of a weapons vault containing weapons such as swords, knives, and halberds. On the lower level there is a person on the left side who is holding a container with food in it, with a jar of rice wine underneath. This is probably a scene of someone bringing a meal to the deceased.

Figure 6 also shows scenes from daily life. While there are mythical beasts depicted on the upper level, on the lower level there is a lavatory. The area under the lavatory is full of night soil and there is a maid cleaning the surrounding area. The vessel next to her is a chamber pot.

Figure 5: Weapons vault and food being taken to the master	Figure 6: Mythical beasts on the upper level and a lavatory below, with the area under the lavatory collecting the night soil

ical tales and the world of myths

Figure 7 shows pictures from the "Hong Men Feast". It depicts the famous scene in which there was an assassination attempt made on the life of Liu Bang, who was responsible for establishing the Han Dynasty, by Fan Zheng, one of Xian Yu's soldiers, while at a drinking party. Fan Zheng makes Xian Yu's disciple Xian Zhuang perform a sword dance with the intent of killing Liu Bang during the performance. However, Xian Bo takes out his sword to perform the sword dance as well, thereby protecting Liu Bang. Fan Kuai, one of Liu Bang's ministers, also comes to his aid, and Liu Bang leaves the feast on the pretense of going to the water closet, but actually escapes to the safety of his own encampment. The scene shows Fan Zheng and Xian Zhuang performing the sword dance while feigning moves at each other.

The pictures not only show historical events, but also depicts themes from the world of myths.

The figure depicted in Figure 8 has four eyes. This is Ts'ang Chieh, the god who invented Chinese characters. Sitting near him is most probably Shen Nong, who eating something that looks like grass that Ts'ang Chieh is holding out to him. Shen Nong is the god who taught humans how to cultivate crops. It is said that he did this by eating all kinds of grasses and studying which would be suitable for cultivation. This picture is probably based on a story about Shen Nong.

One other feature of these pictures is the depictions of the afterlife. Up to the middle of the period of Warring States, the Chinese people believed in three worlds: the heavenly world where gods resided, the real world where humans lived, and a third world where humans lived after they died. During the period from the middle of the Warring States period through to the Han Dynasty (300BC-200AD), there existed the belief in the three sacred mountains, according to which people believed that if one received an elixir or eternal life from a mystic then one would become immortal. There was also sheng-xian belief, whose followers believed that when they died their souls traveled to the sacred mountain of Kunlun in the west, where they obtained eternal life. The afterlife was considered to be an extension of one's life on earth and one in which it was possible to live just as one had while alive.

Figure 9 shows pictures related to religious beliefs in sacred mountains. On the upper level there is a depiction of Fuxi and Nuwa, gods who appear in ancient Chinese mythology. Nuwa is half woman with a serpent lower body and is known for having repaired heaven and for creating mankind. In the center below this is Xiwangmu or the Queen Mother of the West, a god said to live on Kunlun Mountain. She is surrounded by different kinds of mythical beasts. The mythical beasts on her right and left that have the heads of rabbits are thought to be making an elixir of eternal life for the Queen Mother of the West.

Figure 7: Depictions of the "Hong Men Feast" story	Figure 8: The world of myths - Ts'ang Chieh and Shen Nong	Figure 9: Pictures related to religious beliefs in sacred mountains

The rubbings from these stone reliefs not only depict scenes of daily life from those times, but are also vivid depictions of history, myths, the afterlife and gods that are not easily understood through archeology. In informing us about society and spiritual life, they are indeed extremely valuable historical materials.

Archaeology Department, National Museum of Japanese History
Masaru Nishitani