원제국 외래 香藥과 카안의 賞賜 ― 南海海上 생산 香藥을 중심으로 ―

Abstract

This study examined the distribution and consumption of herbal medicines in the Yuan, which was traded as the main product in international trade in the 13th and 14th centuries. This study focused on herbal medicines produced in the Southern coastal region, which ranged from Southeast Asia to India, and flowed into the Yuan. This research confirmed that rare herbal medicines produced in the southern coastal region and other countries were valued by Mongol rulers and were not only used in the herbal medicines and cuisines in the Mongol court but also served as imperial gifts.BR After annexing the Southern Song, the Mongol advanced to the ocean and began to form political relations with countries on the southeastern coast and begin international trade with the southern maritime powers. Although maritime trade did not take place due to the fierce opposition in the southern maritime reigimes, a full-fledged maritime trade system was established postwar in the late 13th century, and the trade between the Yuan and southern maritime regimes began under the leadership of various people, including soldiers, bureaucrats, and merchants. Shibo(市舶) trade began at this point, as per the Southern Song dynasty’s maritime policy. According to Zhizheng Simingzhi(『至正四明志』), herbal medicines accounted for 170 products out of a total of 220 types of products that were imported through maritime trade. These products were not only imported from Southeast Asia but also countries in West and East Asia. A portion of the herbal medicine that reached the trade port was collected as tax in accordance with the Yuan’s shibo(市舶) regulations, and the rest were circulated in the markets.BR Yuyaoyuanfang(『御藥院方』), a book on medicine publishe d in the Yuan Empire, includes the recipes and effects of medicines prepared for the Mongol Qaghans. The list of medicinal herbs that were used confirms that herbal medicines presented or imported from Southern maritime powers were used as essential ingredients. Yinshanzhengyao(『飮膳正要』), a cookbook for Mongolian rulers, also introduces foreign herbal medicines as food ingredients, which shows that foreign herbal medicines were used as spices and that the herbal medicines from the southern sea, in particular, were used in medicinal drinks consumed by the ruling class, including the Mongol Rulers. The medicines or medicinal herbs prepared in the Yuan royal court were also bestowed on Imperial family members, court ministers, and Keshigs as imperial gifts or were shared among the ruling class, with the imported herbal medicines as the main ingredients. Such findings suggest that the herbal medicines and related knowledge brought into East Asia as maritime trade became active in the 10th century were transmitted to the Yuan empire through Mongol’s maritime policy and that the herbal medicines were shared among the Mongol Imperial Members as a privilege.