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The Three Kingdoms (AD 220–280) was the tripartite division of China between the states of Wei (), Shu (), and Wu (), preceding the Jin dynasty and following the Han dynasty. The term "Three Kingdoms" itself is something of a mistranslation, since each state was eventually headed not by a king, but by an emperor who claimed legitimate succession from the Han dynasty. Nevertheless, the term "Three Kingdoms" has become standard among sinologists. To further distinguish the three states from other historical Chinese states of similar names, historians have added a relevant character: Wei is also known as Cao Wei (), Shu is also known as Shu Han (), and Wu is also known as Dong (or Eastern) Wu (). In a strict academic sense, the period of the Three Kingdoms refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 AD and the conquest of the state of Wu by the Jin dynasty in 280. The earlier, "unofficial" part of the period, from 184 to 220, was marked by chaotic infighting between warlords in various parts of China. The middle part of the period, from 220 and 263, was marked by a more militarily stable arrangement between three rival states of Wei, Shu, and Wu. The later part of the era was marked by the conquest of Shu by Wei (263), the overthrow of Wei by the Jin dynasty (265), and the conquest of Wu by the Jin (280). The Three Kingdoms period is one of the bloodiest in Chinese history.〔Robert B. Marks (2011). China: Its Environment and History (World Social Change). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 1442212756.〕 In fact, it is considered the second deadliest period of warfare in history behind World War II.〔〔Graziella Caselli (2005). Demography - Analysis and Synthesis: A Treatise in Population. Academic Press. ISBN 012765660X.〕〔David Wallechinsky (1996-09-01). David Wallechinskys 20th Century: History With the Boring Parts Left Out. Little Brown. ISBN 978-0-316-92056-8.〕 A nationwide census taken in AD 280, following the reunification of the Three Kingdoms under the Jin shows a total of 2,459,840 households and 16,163,863 individuals which was only a fraction of the 10,677,960 households, and 56,486,856 individuals reported during the Han era.〔Nicola Di Cosmo and Robin D. S. Yates. Military Culture in Imperial China. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674031098.〕 While the census may not have been particularly accurate due to a multitude of factors of the times, the Jin in AD 280 did make an attempt to account for all individuals where they could.〔Hans Bielenstein. Chinese historical demography A.D. 2-1982. Östasiatiska museet. p 17〕 Technology advanced significantly during this period. Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang invented the wooden ox, suggested to be an early form of the wheelbarrow, and improved on the repeating crossbow. Wei mechanical engineer Ma Jun is considered by many to be the equal of his predecessor Zhang Heng. He invented a hydraulic-powered, mechanical puppet theatre designed for Emperor Ming of Wei, square-pallet chain pumps for irrigation of gardens in Luoyang, and the ingenious design of the south-pointing chariot, a non-magnetic directional compass operated by differential gears. Although relatively short, this historical period has been greatly romanticized in the cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It has been celebrated and popularized in operas, folk stories, novels and in more recent times, films, television, and video games. The best known of these is Luo Guanzhong's ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', a Ming dynasty historical novel based on events in the Three Kingdoms period.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.yellowbridge.com/literature/threekingdoms.php )〕 The authoritative historical record of the era is Chen Shou's ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', along with Pei Songzhi's later annotations of the text. ==Periodization== There is no set time period for the era, and many arbitrary definitions are given. The strictest rule of dating would be to deem the era to be from the point where all three states coexisted as independent states (229, with the proclamation of the Eastern Wu ruler as emperor) up until the downfall of the Shu-Han states (at which point, only two states continued to exist rather than three). Mao Zonggang, a commentator on the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', mentions in his commentary on Chapter 120 of the novel that: ::''"The three kingdoms formed when the Han royal house declined. The Han royal house declined when the eunuchs abused the sovereign and officials subverted the government."''). In doing so, he suggests that the historiography of the Three Kingdoms should begin at the rise of the Ten Eunuchs to power. He further argues that the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' defines the end of the era as 280, the downfall of Wu, justifying: ::''"As the novel focuses on Han, it could have ended with the fall of Han. But Wei usurped Han. To end the tale before Han's enemy had itself met its fate would be to leave the reader unsatisfied. The novel could have ended with the fall of Wei, but Han's ally was Wu. To end the tale before Han's ally had fallen would be to leave the reader with an incomplete picture. So the tale had to end with the fall of Wu."''〔 Chinese historians have different views about the starting point of the Three Kingdoms period during the final years of the Han dynasty, such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184; the year after the beginning of the rebellion, 185; Dong Zhuo deposing and murdering Emperor Shao of Han and establishing Emperor Xian of Han in 189; Dong Zhuo sacking Luoyang and moving the capital to Chang'an in 190; or Cao Cao placing the emperor under his control in Xuchang in 196. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Three Kingdoms」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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