從神社祭祀到「國民行事」：日治時期祈年祭的引入與發展

Abstract

祈年祭為春季播種時節向神祇祈求五穀豐穰的祭祀，於近代日本神道體制之中，被列為固定的國家祭祀之一，與年末感謝神明的新嘗祭相互對應，並和例祭、新嘗祭共同位列為神社慣例的三大祭。本文選擇祈年祭為主要研究對象，分析日治時期國家神道祭祀的引入、變遷，及其之於臺灣社會的意義。有別於過往研究關注宗教政策、祭神問題或個別神社的發展歷程，本文聚焦於祭祀，透過祈年祭及衍生於社會中的相關活動，嘗試釐清日治時期個人、社會、神社與國家之間的互動關係和網絡。 在臺灣施行的祈年祭大約可依照臺灣神社落成後首次舉行、官國幣社以下神社祭祀令發布，以及進入戰爭狀態劃分為三個階段。在發展過程當中，祈年祭的施行空間與內涵皆出現顯著的擴充現象。祈年祭的活動空間，從最初侷限於神社內部，逐漸延伸至農事機構、農事學校，以及所有家庭和工作場所。祈年所期盼的豐收範疇，亦自米穀擴展至農牧產業，再進一步納入所有產業的增產。考察祈年祭在臺灣的發展，能夠發現殖民地當中的神社祭祀，不斷隨著時代背景轉換與政府需求而調整、挪用。日治初期，祈年祭偏重國家祭祀的象徵性質，不重視向殖民地人民宣傳，然而，伴隨著祈年祭在日本神道祭祀體系當中的地位鞏固與戰爭局勢的迫近，祈年祭逐漸轉向一般民眾，甚至成為鼓勵增產、動員兒童與婦女的媒介之一，試圖將之轉化為「國民行事」，並顯現出工具性的面向。儘管如此，由於缺乏和民眾自身或臺灣傳統的連結，祈年祭祭祀意義難以被人們深刻理解、接納，揭示著國家祭祀之於殖民地的傳遞僅止於表面，無法真正深入信仰與心靈層面。

Kinensai (Tosigoi-no-Matsuri) is a ritual during the spring sowing season to pray to the gods for a bountiful harvest of grains. In the modern Japanese Shinto system, it was recognized as one of the fixed national rituals, corresponding to Niinamesai, which was a ritual of thanksgiving to the gods at the end of the year. It was also recognized as one of the three annual rituals along with Reisai and Niinamesai. This thesis selects Kinensai as the main subject to analyze the introduction and change of State Shinto rituals during the Japanese colonial period, and their significance to Taiwan society. Unlike previous studies that focused on religious policies, the issue of Shinto rituals, or the development of individual shrines, this thesis focused on the rituals attempts to clarify the interactions and networks among individuals, society, shrines, and the state during the Japanese colonial period through the Kinensai and the related activities in the society. Kinensai in Taiwan can be divided into three stages: after the completion of Taiwan Shrine, the promulgation of Kankokuheisha-Ika-Jinja-Saishirei, and in the state of war. In the course of its development, there had been a significant expansion in the space and content of Kinensai. The ritual space of Kinensai had expanded from being limited to the interior of shrines to social events, and gradually extended to agricultural organizations, agricultural schools, and all homes and workplaces. The denotation of the desired harvest extended from rice to agriculture and animal husbandry, and then further to the increase of production in all industries. Examining the development of Kinensai in Taiwan, one can find that shrine rituals in the colony were constantly adapted and appropriated in response to the changing historical context and the needs of the government. During the early period of Japanese rule, Kinensai, with its emphasis on the symbolic nature of the national ritual, did not attach importance to comprehensive publicity for the colonial people. However, with the consolidation of Kinensai’s position in the Shinto ritual system and the approaching war, Kinensai had to be turned to the general public, and even became one of the mediums for encouraging the increase of production and the mobilization of children and women, and was gradually transformed into an act of nationalism, with an instrumental aspect. Nevertheless, due to the lack of connection to the Taiwanese people themselves or to the tradition, the meaning of Kinensai was difficult to be understood and accepted by the people. This situation reveals that the transmission of the national rituals to the colony was only superficial, and did not penetrate deeper into the level of beliefs and spirituality.