明代獄神廟與監獄神祇的信仰文化

Prison God Temples and Popular Belief in the Ming Dynasty

獄神，是在監獄之中所祭祀的神祇，即為監獄之神。明代以前對獄神祭祀信仰較不常見，同時受到時間與空間因素的差異，所祭祀的神祇也有所不同，從皋陶、蕭何等神祇，特別是司法審判與監獄管理之間的神權混淆，更顯得較為廣泛而模糊。自明代晚期以來，對於獄神廟普遍於全國各地監獄的設置，以及獄神祭祀文化與認知，逐漸開始由司法審判性質轉化為監獄管理性質，並進而影響清代獄神祭祀的建構。明清以來對於獄神廟的討論，曾因《石頭記批語》的提及，一度引起紅學研究者相繼地熱烈探討。事實上，關於獄神的祭祀雖從秦漢時代開始，但自明代以後才逐漸在各地方監獄設置獄神廟，而使獄神祭祀成為較普遍的祭祀行為，主要原因有二：明代皇權進入禮制系統而有所改變，以及士人階層對於獄神祭祀的認知給予正面肯定。然而，獄神廟與一般官方或民間信仰有所不同，獄神廟通常位於各級監獄之內，因此是以監獄為核心場域的祭祀行為，祭祀者多以獄囚、獄卒、典獄官員為主，加上監獄屬於司法制度下處罰罪犯執行單位，於是獄神成為一種非公開性的邊緣祭祀文化。本文旨在利用歷史文獻探討明代獄神廟的祭祀與設置情形、政治權力對獄神廟介入的影響、獄囚生活信仰的探討，以及士人階層對獄神信仰的認同與文化建構。 This article discusses the worship behavior, culture, and belief associated with Prison God temples in the Ming dynasty. Although Prison God worship dated to the Qin and Han period, the majority of Prison God temples were established during the Ming. Reasons for this are discussed in the article. This article also considers differences between official and popular belief.

This article discusses the worship behavior, culture, and belief associated with Prison God temples in the Ming dynasty. Although Prison God worship dated to the Qin and Han period, the majority of Prison God temples were established during the Ming. Reasons for this are discussed in the article. This article also considers differences between official and popular belief.