江蘇省發現隋煬帝墓

Last month the NHK News on-line reported the following:

隋王朝の煬帝の墓見つかる
4月15日 22時59分

中国東部の江蘇省で、都市開発の工事の際に偶然、１４００年前に大運河を築いたことなどで知られる隋王朝の煬帝のものとみられる墓が見つかったと、地元の当局が発表しました。

中国国営の新華社通信などによりますと、墓が見つかったのは江蘇省揚州の郊外で、都市開発の建設工事の際に偶然、面積が３０平方メートルほどの古代のれんがでできた石室２つが見つかりました。地元の文化財当局が調査したところ、石室のうち１つから「隋の煬帝」と書かれた墓誌のほか、銅製の工芸品や玉がちりばめられた金のベルトなどの副葬品が発掘されました。
盗掘の跡があり、人骨などは見つかっていませんが、地元当局は、発掘された副葬品は高貴な人物にしか見られないことなどから、墓の主は隋の第二代皇帝、煬帝と基本的に認定できると発表しました。煬帝は中国の南北を縦断する大運河を築いたほか、聖徳太子が当時の中国を日本と対等にみて「日出づる処の天子」で始まる手紙を書いたことに激怒したことなどで知られています。
江蘇省揚州には、別に煬帝の墓とされる陵墓がありますが、歴史の資料に煬帝の墓は何度も移されていると書かれていることから、地元当局は今後、今回発見された墓との関係を詳しく調べることにしています。

(試譯文)

The local authorities announced that by chance at a construction project for urban development in Jiangsu which was located at eastern part of China something believed to be the grave of Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty was found; Emperor Yang was known for having built the Grand Canal 1400 years ago.

According to the Xinhua News Agency managed by the Chinese government, it was at the suburb of Yangzhou in Jiangsu where the grave found. Two ancient tombs with an area of about 30-square meter made with ancient bricks were found by chance on the occasion of a construction work being carried out for urban development. When investigated by the local cultural-assets authorities, in one of the ancient tombs, there was the epitaph written "Emperor Yang of Sui". Besides, some copper handicrafts and jade, and a belt studded with gold etc. burial goods were unearthed.

Although there were marks of grave robbing, no human bones were found. The local authorities announced that fundamentally it was presumed that the owner of the grave was the second generation of Sui Dynasty Emperor Yang since the burial goods unearthed could be seen only among the noble people. Emperor Yang built the Grand Canal which ran through the north and south of China. He was also known for being enraged by Prince Shotoku because the latter had written a letter which saw China of those days as an equal to Japan and started writing with the words "the emperor of the place where the sun rises".

In Yangzhou of Jiangsu separately there was an Imperial mausoleum used as Emperor Yang's grave. Since it was written in historical records that Emperor Yang's grave had been moved repeatedly, the local authorities from now on would investigate in detail the relation of the grave that was now discovered.

It is an interesting historical discovery. Perhaps historical records could be updated because of this new finding.