Collection of Translations on the History of Northern Ethnic Groups and Mongolian History

Author: (Japan) Naito Inpō
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The translations of Mongolian and Northern Ethnic History collected in this book were translated by the translator during the early 1960s to the mid-1980s while working at the Institute of Mongolian History at Inner Mongolia University (renamed the Institute of Mongolian History in 1982). Most of them were originally published in the internal academic journal Mongolian Historical Research Materials, edited by the institute. They are now compiled together for the reference of relevant researchers. Part of the Northern Ethnic History section, including 20 translations. This section includes 14 annotations on the Biographies of Northern Nomadic Tribes from the official histories, translated from the works of renowned Japanese historians Naito Inpō, Iwao, Tatsuo Tamaru, and Tetsuo Sako on The History of Horseback Nomads (Biographies of Northern Nomadic Tribes), Volume 1 (1980) and Volume 2 (1979). Naito Inpō is an expert in the history of the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Rouran tribes, with works such as Studies on the History of Northern Asia: The Xiongnu (1975) and Studies on the History of Northern Asia: Xianbei, Rouran, and Turks (1975). Tatsuo Tamaru is a scholar of the history of Mongolian and other northern nomadic tribes, with works such as Studies on the Conquering Dynasties of China. Iwao is an expert in the history of the Turks, with works such as Studies on the Ancient History of the Turkic People. The annotations on the Biographies of Northern Nomadic Tribes in this section, especially Naito Inpō's annotations on the Xiongnu and Rouran biographies, Iwao's annotations on the Western Turks, and Sako's annotations on the Tiele and Uyghur biographies, reflect the achievements and annotation standards of Japanese academia in the study of the Biographies of Northern Nomadic Tribes by the late 1970s. They are of great reference value for studying the history of the Xiongnu, Rouran, Turks, and Uyghurs. The section also includes Naito Inpō's A Short History of the Study of the Xiongnu and Xiongnu as Ethnic Groups, which comprehensively and systematically elaborates on the research insights of Eastern and Western scholars on the Xiongnu and Xiongnu as ethnic groups based on Eastern and Western classical texts, linguistic comparison, archaeological research, and anthropological studies. It specifically discusses various aspects related to the Xiongnu and Xiongnu as ethnic groups, making it an important document for studying the Xiongnu and Xiongnu as ethnic groups. Naito Inpō's Study on the Western Migration of the Xiongnu examines the western campaigns and migration of the northern Xiongnu, attempting to provide additional evidence for the Xiongnu and Xiongnu as ethnic groups. It is an important document for studying the history of the Xiongnu's western migration. The translation of Russian scholar Rizhsky's The Xiongnu and Donghu is from the History of Siberia, Volume 1 (1968 edition), Chapter 5, edited by Okladnikov and others in the Soviet Union. This article discusses the history of the Xiongnu and Donghu tribes from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD from a Marxist historical perspective. It is noteworthy that the article extensively uses archaeological findings from the Lake Baikal region and the Mongolian region to corroborate ancient records and discuss the historical aspects of the Xiongnu's social economy, culture, weapons, and fortifications. Naito Inpō's Study on the Avar and Rouran as Ethnic Groups further argues that the Rouran were indeed the Avars based on the research of numerous European scholars on the Avar and Rouran as ethnic groups, combining Eastern and Western historical records. The tribal and clan names of the Rouran and Avars both carry connotations of insects and snakes, and there are similarities in their lifestyles, social organizations, customs, languages, and anthropology. The records in Eastern and Western historical texts about the westward migration of the Rouran and Avars after being defeated by the Turks are consistent, further supporting the argument that the Rouran were the Avars. Russian orientalist Barthold (1869–1930) was skilled in using Persian and Arabic historical materials combined with other linguistic sources to study the history of Turkic and Mongolic peoples, as well as Central and Western Asian history. The section includes Barthold's History of the Turkic and Mongolic Peoples, which concisely outlines the 2,000-year history of the Turkic and Mongolic peoples from the 3rd century BC to the 18th century, their evolution and development across a vast region from the northwest frontier of China to Eastern Europe. Russian orientalist Pichurin (1777–1853) compiled the Biographies of Northern Nomadic Tribes from Chinese official histories into a three-volume work titled Materials on Ancient Central Asian Tribes. In this book, he published his insights on the origins, evolutionary relationships, and geographical distribution of Mongolic, Turkic, and Tungusic-Manchu peoples through annotations and general discussions. Pichurin's work had a significant influence on later Russian and Soviet orientalists, as many of their views on the origins and evolutionary relationships of Altaic nomadic peoples originated from him. The section includes excerpts from the first volume of this book, focusing on the annotations and general discussions of the Chinese historical materials, for the reference of researchers. The second part is the Mongol and Yuan Dynasty History section, with 15 translations. Plano Carpin's The History of the Mongols. Plano Carpin (1182–1252) was an Italian Franciscan monk. In 1245, at the request of Pope Innocent IV, he carried a letter from the Pope to the Mongol Khan and traveled to Mongolia to persuade the Mongols to stop their raids and gather information on their political, military, economic, and religious situations. In April of the same year, he left Lyon, passing through Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and arrived near the Mongol capital of Karakorum in July 1246. In August, he participated in the grand ceremony where Güyük was elected as the Great Khan. He stayed in Mongolia for four months. In November, he returned to Lyon by land with Güyük's reply to the Pope's decree. In the autumn of 1247, he returned to Lyon and wrote a report in Latin titled The History of the Mongols to report to the Pope. The History of the Mongols details his journey and observations, as well as the social economy, customs, religion, politics, laws, and military situations of the Mongols in the 13th century. It is an important primary source for studying early Mongol history and the history of East-West trade. The Chinese translation is based on the Russian translation of the Latin original by Malenin and the detailed annotations by Shastina. Barthold's important papers on Mongol and Yuan history include The Establishment of the Mongol Empire, The Relationship Between the Social Daily Life and Economic Structure of Turkic and Mongolic Peoples, On the Uyghur Manuscripts and Their Influence on the Mongols, Records of Christian Descendants of the Mongol Rulers in Islamic Historical Texts, and On the Christian Descendants of the Mongol Rulers. In these papers, Barthold discusses many valuable insights on the history of the founding of the Mongol Empire by Genghis Khan, why the Mongol army could defeat numerically superior civilizations, the establishment of its vast territories, the maintenance of its unity for decades, the continuation of Mongol rule over other countries after its disintegration, the historical role of Genghis Khan's political and military talents, the relationship between the daily life and economic structure of Turkic and Mongolic peoples, the influence of Uyghur culture on the Mongols, and the Christian descendants of the Mongol rulers. These papers highlight Barthold's expertise in using Persian, Arabic, and other linguistic sources for his research. The Soviet historian Millbert and others wrote Genghis Khan and His Legacy, discussing the establishment of the Mongol Empire and the Mongol campaigns in Asia, the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, and the history of Mongol rule over Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the gradual disintegration of the Mongol khanates under the resistance of various peoples. This article extensively uses ancient Russian chronicles and other foreign language materials, making it valuable for studying Mongol history from the 13th to the 15th centuries. The Japanese scholar Honda Minoru's Study on the of A-mu River and Other Regions examines the history and early administrative structure of Mongol rule over the Persian region after Genghis Khan's westward campaigns, focusing on the Iranian Governor-General's Office and the of A-mu River and Other Regions established in 1251, based on Persian historical records such as Rashid al-Din's Jami' al-Tawarikh, Juvayni's Tarikh-i Jahangir-i Jahān (History of the Conqueror of the World), Wassaf's book, and the History of the Yuan Dynasty. This article provides a more detailed and in-depth study of the early history and administrative structure of Mongol rule over Persia, particularly the of A-mu River and Other Regions, which was previously not well understood. The Soviet scholar Gishelev's The Stone Turtle that "Escaped" from Kara-Kara discusses the stone carving techniques of ancient artisans in the ruins of the capital of the ancient Mongol Empire, Kara-Kara, based on the discovery of unfinished stone turtles during excavations. The Mongolian scholar De Nawan's Iron Tools Found in the Ruins of Kara-Kara argues for the existence of workshops for producing iron weapons and agricultural tools in the ancient city of Kara-Kara, based on the discovery of 18 iron plows, 52 large and small cart axle bearings, and numerous iron spearheads during excavations in the 1950s. The Mongolian scholar Sere-Ozab's Archaeological Research in the Mongolian People's Republic summarizes the achievements of archaeological excavations conducted by Russian, Soviet, and Mongolian teams in the Mongolian People's Republic since 1889, particularly after the Mongolian Revolution in 1921, until 1960. These excavations include rich findings from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Xiongnu, Turkic, Liao, Mongol, Yuan, Ming, and Qing periods. The Japanese scholar Nogami Shizukane's Annotations on the History of the Yuan Dynasty: The Biography of Monks and Heretics provides detailed annotations on the Biography of Monks and Heretics (Volume 202 of the History of the Yuan Dynasty) using Chinese and Tibetan historical texts. The Chinese and Tibetan names and terms in the Biography of Monks and Heretics are restored to their original Tibetan forms. This article is valuable for studying the religious history of Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism during the Yuan Dynasty. The Japanese scholar Katayama Kazuo's two papers, On the Genealogy of the Yuan Dynasty's Keshi Descendants and On the Yuan Dynasty's Xibaoqi, study the Keshi (imperial guards), who were at the core of the Yuan Dynasty's ruling class. The first paper examines the genealogy of the Keshi descendants, concluding that: 1) Many ruling elites from conquered countries, including kings, ministers, close associates, noble families, large clans, and military commanders, were among the Keshi descendants, indicating that the Yuan Dynasty's Keshi system played a significant role in pacifying and controlling the conquered peoples. 2) The opportunities for joining the Keshi included being a hostage, military merit, voluntary allegiance, talent, hereditary status, and wealth. For Han Chinese from southern China, the most important opportunity was talent, as the Yuan Dynasty's Kublai Khan paid great attention to recruiting knowledgeable Han Chinese from southern China into the Keshi. 3) Mongol and Uyghur Keshi descendants and Han Chinese Keshi descendants who had surrendered to the Mongols before the reign of Kublai Khan were recognized as noble families. 4) Starting from the reign of Kublai Khan, the Yuan Dynasty prohibited new Han Chinese from joining the Keshi to prevent their proportion from increasing in the core ruling class of the Keshi. The second paper studies the Xibaoqi (eagle hunters) in the Yuan Dynasty's Keshi, providing an in-depth study of their duties, administrative structure, the process of the expansion of the Xibaoqi institutions, and the relationship between central and local Xibaoqi. The Japanese scholar Tani Tomosaburo's Some Studies on the Yuan Dynasty's Imperial Offices examines the Yuan Dynasty's central institutions, including the 21 imperial offices such as the Ministry of Waterworks, the Secretariat, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, and the Imperial Academy, their characteristics (such as the large number of offices, multiple heads of office, numerous officials, higher ranks than previous dynasties, frequent changes in the system of establishment, abolition, and promotion, and frequent changes in the number of officials), and the reasons for these characteristics. This article provides a detailed and in-depth study of the Yuan Dynasty's imperial offices. The third part is the Ming and Qing Dynasty Mongolian History section, which includes Annotations on the Genealogy of the Descendants of Dayan Khan and The Kalgan Code. From the late 15th to the early 16th century, Dayan Khan Batumunkh unified most of Mongolia through more than two decades of warfare and gradually enfeoffed his nine sons (two other sons died early and left no descendants) with territories, which were inherited by their descendants. After this, most Mongol nobles in the Ming and Qing dynasties were descendants of Dayan Khan. Therefore, clarifying the genealogy of Dayan Khan's descendants is important for studying the history of Mongolia in the middle and late Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. The American scholar Cressey's Annotations on the Genealogy of the Descendants of Dayan Khan uses extensive records from Mongolian and Chinese historical texts to meticulously examine 300 Mongol nobles and other figures (such as the wives and concubines of Mongol nobles) listed in the Genealogy of the Descendants of Dayan Khan in the appendix of Xiao Da-heng's Customs of the Northern Nomads (1592–1595), and restores the Chinese translations of Mongolian names, tribal and clan names, and place names to their original Mongolian forms. Cressey's work, which demonstrates great scholarly rigor, is highly valuable for studying Ming Dynasty Mongolian history. The Kalgan Code is a compilation of various laws and regulations from outer Mongolia in the 18th century, providing important materials for studying Qing Dynasty Mongolian law, social conditions, and the economy. In 1933, the Soviet scholar Zamchayanov translated the only surviving manuscript of the Mongolian original of this code into Russian. The translator based their work on Zamchayanov's Russian translation.