「天皇米」之說的生成與再現

臺灣各地所生產的稻米中，有部分宣稱曾於日治時期「獻給天皇品嘗」，或為當時的「天皇御用米」，並以此做商品宣傳。本論文的研究目的，即在釐清帶有此類說法的「天皇米」之歷史真相，探討日治時期臺灣如何執行「新穀獻納」，以及這樣的歷史於今日「再現」的過程。　　臺灣的新穀獻納源自日本的「新嘗祭」，在皇宮，新嘗祭由天皇主持，象徵其握有宗教和政治上的權力。明治維新後，日本推行國家神道，新嘗祭成為具有國民統合作用的祝祭日之一，也展開全國性的「新穀獻納」，將各地收穫的穀物獻給皇宮。臺灣在進入日治時期後即舉行新嘗祭，然而獻給皇宮的「獻穀」種植，卻要到歷經米作改良的1922年，在內地延長主義及獎勵農作的目的下才正式推動。1930年代末期，隨著戰爭局勢緊繃，殖民政府對臺灣糧食控管及社會教化工作也愈發激烈，除了獻穀，栽種奉獻給神社的「神饌」以及實施「新穀感謝祭」，無非是要擴大敬神崇祖的精神教化，並鼓勵稻米生產，最後，甚至安排臺灣人到日本奉獻穀物，使新穀獻納達到高峰。　　官方推動的新穀獻納事務，隨著日本結束殖民統治畫下句點，這段歷史沉潛多年，直到1980年代末期，國民黨威權體制的鬆動和本土化熱潮後才有機會再現，「天皇」成為有效用的「品牌」。在本論文討論的案例中，可以發現今日再現的「天皇米」，已非全然是歷史上的「獻穀」或「神饌」，而是運用在品牌建立行銷、社區營造、或是作為抵抗土地徵收的論述所建構的產物，即便如此，「歷史」卻也能證明「天皇米」的正統，強化其產品內涵，成為型塑文化產業的關鍵。除了稻米，類似的「天皇之說」也出現在其他產業，而不同政權的統治下，也產生不同的「領袖品牌」，在商業市場發揮效益。　　從日治時期具有殖民教化意義的獻穀、神饌，到今天的「天皇米」品牌，本論文不僅是歷史學實用於今日社會的例證，也進一步引發我們在後殖民情境中，如何面對過去殖民統治的思考，同時，這樣的過程也凸顯了臺灣歷史研究和知識普及的重要性。

關鍵字

米；新嘗祭；殖民統治；社會教化；農業；文化產業；再現

並列摘要

Some of Taiwan-produced rice brands claim that they had been offered as a tributary to the Emperor of Japan or even used as the daily staple during the Japanese colonial period, which have been taken as the promotion of brand sales. The purpose of this study is to determine the historical truth of “Emperor’s rice” through the exploration of the exact execution of “New Grain Dedication” (新穀獻納) in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period and the historical “representation” process in modern times. Taiwan’s New Grain Dedication during the Japanese colonial period was originated from Japan’s Niinamesai (新嘗祭), which means the New Autumn Harvest Celebration. In Japan, the Niinamesai ceremony is hosted by the Japanese Emperor in the royal palace, representing the religious and political power he has. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan has implemented State Shinto (國家神道, refers to the use of Shinto traditions and beliefs to support Japanese nationalism), and Niinamesai has become one the national holidays and festivals to unite the national citizens since then. Meanwhile, the nationwide New Grain Dedication has also launched to dedicate the grains harvested around the country to the royal palace. After taking over the dominion of Taiwan, the Japanese colonial government had started to implement Niinamesai. Nevertheless, the plantation of “dedicated grains” had only started from 1922, when the rice plantation had improved, in order to promote the principle of the Extension of Japanese Proper and reward farming. In the late 1930s, as the war had become more treacherous, the colonial government had also restricted its food control and social education work over Taiwan. In addition to grain dedication, the encouragement of the plantation of Shinsen (神饌), the food and alcohol offering to the gods, and the implementation of New Grain Thanksgiving Festival both attempted to expand the worship of gods and ancestors and further encouraged rice production. Ultimately, the government even arranged Taiwan’s people to demonstrate their dedication in Japan, maximizing the implementation of New Grain Dedication to its peak. The new grain dedication activity had come to its end along with the end of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan. This historical fact had been buried for a long time and finally has been brought up for the representation after the weakening of the KMT’s authoritarian regime and the boom of localization since the late 1980s, and “Emperor” has become an effective “brand.” In the case discussed in this study, it can be found that today’s representation Emperor’s rice is no longer to be the authentic grains that were dedicated to gods as in the history. Emperor’s rice has become an object used for brand marketing, community development, or even a statement against land expropriation. Even so, the history can still prove the orthodoxy of Emperor’s rice, strengthening the product connotation and serving as the key to the shaping of cultural industries. In addition to rice, such “Emperor” brands can also be seen in other industries. Different “leader brands” generate under different regimes of domination in order to optimize the market effectiveness. From the New Grain Dedication and Shinsen with colonial education significance in the Japanese colonial period to the so-called Emperor’s rice brands nowadays, this study not only serves as a good example of the practical application of history in modern society, but its process also underlines the importance of Taiwan history research and knowledge popularization. Furthermore, this study also provokes thoughts on how to face the past colonial rule in the post-colonial context.