Could you first provide us with an overview of your research?
Hatano : I research the administrative systems during the Qin and Han Dynasties in ancient China (from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD). I am particularly focused on the document transmission system, akin to our modern postal system.
My primary research material is "Kantoku" (Jiǎndú in Chinese). These are tablets made of wood or bamboo inscribed with characters, and a large number has been unearthed from ancient wells and tombs across China since the 20th century. Unlike the official historical records compiled at the national level these tablets contain detailed records of daily tasks performed by officials. By piecing together these fragmented pieces of information, I aim to reconstruct the administrative system in ancient China.
For instance, when examining tablets that recorded the transmission of official documents, I find a standardized format for noting senders, recipients, and dates, a system that seems familiar even to us today. This realization, that the practices of people 2,000 years ago feel relatable, was what drew me to this field of study.
What I particularly emphasize is visiting the actual sites, examining the actual tablets, and investigating the archaeological sites where they were found, in order to expose myself to diverse information. There's much to learn not just from the inscriptions on the tablets, but also from marks left on their backs and sides. To give a specific example, during my research, I visited the Gansu Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics in China and conducted a hands-on examination of Han Dynasty tablets known as Xuanquan Han Tablets. While published illustrations didn't reveal much, close observation of the actual items showed faint traces of characters on their sides. It appears that characters were inscribed on the sides of paired tablets, using a system similar to a tally impression, to ensure the authenticity of each item.
Could you share some of your research findings so far?
Hatano : I've focused on the mechanism of official documents known as Chasing Documents (追書) found in the Liye Qin Tablets (里耶秦簡) excavated from the Qin Dynasty ruins. According to the legal text Statutes Concerning the Forwarding of Documents (Xíng shū lǜ: 行書律), it is explicitly mentioned that a Chasing Document was a document that was sent when a response to the original document was delayed. However, when examining the sending and receiving dates on the Chasing Documents in the Liye Qin Tablets, I found several instances where the Chasing Documents were sent earlier than the expected date of receiving a reply. This suggests that such documents were sent at regular intervals, regardless of whether a response was received. This phenomenon can be likened to what we'd call a "reminder" in modern terms.
What else have you elucidated in your research?
Hatano : I've been deeply interested in comparing the information inscribed on wooden tablets with the content documented in historical literature. One of my studies contrasts the postal system reconstructed from these tablets with the societal system depicted in the "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji: 史記) concerning Wang Wenshu (王温舒). Wang Wenshu served as a regional governor during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Former Han dynasty. He's renowned as a "strict official" (酷吏) who rigorously enforced the law upon the citizens. The Records detail that upon Wang Wenshu's appointment in the Henan province, he ensured the provision of 50 private horses and added relay stations along the route from Henan to the capital, Chang'an. Subsequently, after detaining influential figures in the province, he dispatched an official document known as Shangshu (上書) to Chang'an, requesting the death penalty. The sentences were executed in a notably short period. However, solely reading the historical documents doesn't elucidate why Wang Wenshu augmented the number of horses and relay stations. Upon examining the postal system derived from the tablets, it became evident that a rule existed: when sending a Shangshu requesting the death penalty, it was mandatory to dispatch it by horse, passing through relay stations. This suggests that Wang Wenshu's rationale for increasing the horses and relay stations was to expedite the execution process as much as possible. This instance illuminates the value of comparing historical literature with the tablets, offering a possible insight into the intention and background of the administrative action, which is not described in detail in the historical literature.
What are future prospects for this research?
Hatano : Currently, I am advancing research to reconstruct the ancient writing practices from the diverse traces left on the bamboo and wooden tablets. One aspect of this involves quantifying the handwritings written on these tablets. The Liye Qin Tablets contain a significant number of "composite documents" where multiple pieces of information are recorded on a single tablet. It's speculated that these documents contain mixed brushstrokes from several individuals, but there hasn't been a scientific method to verify this. In collaboration with calligraphers, I've devised a method to quantify the characteristics and idiosyncrasies of these handwritings and represent them in distribution charts. If we can accurately identify the number of handwritings present in these composite documents, it will aid in unraveling the intricate and advanced document processing systems of that time. To achieve this, I am focusing on advancing the quantification of handwritings and establishing a method for their quantitative evaluation.
Furthermore, I am collaborating with researchers from other fields to work on the 3D digitalization of these tablets. While the digitalization of historical materials is advancing globally across humanities research as well, the field of Ancient Chinese Tablets research has been lagging. By recording the precise 3D digital data of the shape of these tablets, not only can we utilize them for research interpretations of the diverse traces left by ancient people, but I also aim to build an interdisciplinary platform where researchers from various fields who previously couldn't access these materials will be able to interact with the digital tablets.