日治臺灣麻雀的流行、「流毒」及其對應

Popularity, Negative Impacts, and Public Policies of Mahjong Game in Japanese Colonial Taiwan

清廷於甲午戰敗、將臺灣割讓給日本之後，源自清光緒後期中國的麻雀，如何在1920年代中葉風靡東、西洋之際，以「室內社交娛樂」之姿再度迂迴傳進殖民地臺灣，對社會造成重大衝擊和影響，乃本文之研究課題。根據本文分析可知，日本殖民政府領臺初期，便採行禁賭與徵收「骨牌（奢侈）稅」雙管齊下來抑制賭風，同時挹注財源。「骨牌稅」主要針對當時最為普遍的四色牌賭博而設，至於「叉麻雀」或「打梅雀」則只限於少數臺灣上等階層的高級娛樂。然而1920年代前半，「麻雀」變鳳凰，橫掃東、西兩洋，並從日本本土「飛來」殖民地臺灣，麻雀成為時人海上商務、旅行的良伴；各種形態的麻雀俱樂部更成為麻雀從點擴散到面的重要管道。麻雀的大流行，讓大眾為之瘋狂。不分階級、種族、地域及性別，1920年代中葉起，打麻雀儼如成為臺灣社會的全民運動；然而麻雀的流毒——麻雀賭博亦如影隨形，讓殖民政府與反殖民統治陣營的臺灣知識階層皆慌了手腳，如何將麻雀「去賭化」、避免青年學子沉溺其中虛擲光陰，雙方對此均各有作為。殖民政府一方面縱容在臺日人設立麻雀俱樂部，一方面又對臺人利用麻雀賭博抱持高度警戒；反觀反殖陣營則是一方面在輿論上批判殖民政府縱容，要求禁絕麻雀，但一方面私下又經常深陷其中。麻雀對應的成效不彰，也凸顯出這項介於娛樂與賭博之間的大眾室內社交娛樂，令人又愛又恨。麻雀考驗著政策，檢驗著對策，但同時亦反映著人性。值得注意的是，隨著麻雀大剌剌的走入家庭、飛入社會，也讓女性的角色融入家庭娛樂與社交生活的範疇，得與男性平起平坐，在方城之戰中占有一席之地。1930年代初期「麻雀女郎」的登場，更被時人譽為走在時代尖端的女性新職業。

The Chinese parlor game of Mahjong, first invented in the late 19th century, was introduced into Taiwan in the 1920s and had made a far-reaching impact on society. This paper will explore the extent to which the game affected people from different walks of life. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Japanese government imposed a special consumption tax (骨牌稅) on Chinese card (四色牌) and enacted legislations prohibiting gambling of any form. However, as the game of Mahjong gained its popularity throughout Asia and the western world in the first half of the 1920s, it was brought into Taiwan from Japan and soon became an indispensable traveling companion for entertainment. Moreover, newly established Mahjong clubs also contributed to its wide popularity. The craze for Mahjong among the general mass, regardless of class, race, region, or gender, reached its peak in the 1920s, making it a kind of 'national pastime'. While Mahjong was often closely associated with gambling, different camps held rather contradictory opinions on how to curb gambling and prevent youngsters from indulgence in this harmful game. The colonial elites (殖民政府) on the one hand permitted Japanese residents in Taiwan to run Mahjong clubs; but had on the other hand serious concerns about the problem of gambling among Taiwanese. Likewise, the anti-colonial elites, though criticized the colonial government's laissez-faire attitude towards Mahjong, were themselves addicted to it. Consequently, enforcement tactics in response to the Mahjong issue were not only controversial but also relatively ineffective.