Since the third century,the official management of ancestral temples and deities gradually evolved to be implemented through the bestowal of honorary titles and noble ranks.This system,which was formalized during the Song dynasty,persisted into the Yuan dynasty.This method not only boasted relatively low operational costs but was also adeptly wielded by the authorities.Simultaneously,it emerged as a governance approach widely accepted and engaged in by the general populace.However,in the third year of the Hongwu era,the Ming government abandoned this time-honored practice of conferring titles,which had endured for centuries.Through a statistical analysis of the bestowed titles upon deities during the early Ming period,it becomes evident that the system,having operated effectively for an extended duration and enjoyed broad popularity,was on the brink of institutional obsolescence.This manifested as a saturation dilemma:on the one hand,deities within the official purview universally acquired titles,rendering such designations commonplace and no longer emblematic of imperial favor;on the other hand,pivotal deities had already attained the pinnacle of noble ranks in preceding dynasties,leaving the nascent dynasty with no titles left to confer.As the conferral of titles became a customary practice and such designations became ubiquitous among deities,it signified that within the existing framework,the fledgling Ming dynasty faced challenges in highlighting its distinctive grace.Consequently,the Ming court opted to inaugurate a new mode of deity governance by abolishing the practice of conferring titles,thereby striving to foster the anticipated connections and mutual benefits between the emperor and deities,as well as the court and the civilian populace.
关键词
宗教治理/神明赐封/明代礼制/制度困境
Key words
Religious Governance/Title Granting/Ritual System of the Ming Dynasty/Institutional Dilemma
维普
万方数据