The Dead as "Centre" in Stone Tombs : An Analysis of Han Cosmology

This article discusses perceptions of the dead in ancient China through an examination of Eastern Han stone tombs. In this period, engraved images could be found in the underground chambers, ancestral temples, or on stone statues that formed part of these tombs. Due to the large number of extant historical remains, these images have become an important research topic in Sinology. Since the design of these tomb sites during the Eastern Han was generally based on cosmological considerations, it is possible to establish the hypothesis that the dead were supposed to connect this world with the next. Drawing on Mircea Eliade\u27s concept of the "centre," I will call this perception of the dead "the dead as centre". The first half of this article provides a brief overview of some aspects of Chinese cosmology during the Han Dynasty. Re-examining the concept of the "centre" as proposed by Mircea Eliade, I take issue with parts of his model, presenting an alternative model more suitable for Chinese religious cosmology. Secondly, through an analysis of jade figurines, knocker-holders, and holly trees carved into gravestones - images assumed to have a close affiliation to the dead as centre - I examine by what means the dead were thought to ascend to heaven. The images strongly suggest the existence of two types of ascension: "climbing a pillar" and "passing through a gate". In the engravings, the former was represented in the form of trees or mountains, and the latter as holes or tubes. In other words, images of pillars and holes were engraved so as to guarantee the dead safe ascension to heaven.論文/Article