Xiajiasi 黠戛斯, Qirqiz

The Qirqiz (Kyrgyz), by the Chinese called Xiajiasi 黠戛斯 and later Jilijisi 吉よし利吉としきち思おもえ, were a Türkic-speaking people living in the western parts of modern Mongolia, and near the upper course of the River Yennisey. Although the Qirqiz language is definitely Türkic, some people showed physical signs of Indo-Iranian ancestry. The Qirqiz were pastoral nomads, but also engaged in fishing and hunting, and some even in agriculture. Their religion was shamanic, and they prognosticated the future with the help of runic signs.

Chinese scholar identify them with peoples from the northwest that were from the Han 漢かん (206 BCE-220 CE) to the Sui 隋ずい (581-618) periods called Likun 鬲昆, Gekun 隔へだた昆こん, Jiankun 堅けん昆こん, Hugu 護まもる骨こつ, Jiegu 結ゆい骨こつ, Qigu 契ちぎり骨こつ or Gegu 紇骨. The name Qirqiz first appears in the Türkic inscriptions of the steles of the region of the River Orkhon that date from the mid-8th century. Chinese sources from the Tang period 唐とう (618-907) call them Xiajiasi 黠戛斯, or Hegusi 紇扢斯. In the early 7th century the Qirgiz were vassals to the Syr Tarduš 薛延陀, a Türkish federation in the northwest. In 632 a first Chinese embassy was sent to the khan of the Qirgiz. Shibo Qu'azhan 失しつ鉢ばち屈こごめ阿おもね棧 in 648 visited the court in Chang'an 長安ながやす (modern Xi'an 西安しーあん, Shaanxi) and was appointed commander-in-chief (dudu 都みやこ督ただし) of the area command (dudufu 都と督とく府ふ) of Jiankun that was subordinated to the protectorate (duhufu 都みやこ護まもる府ふ) of Yanran 燕つばめ然しか. Yet the Qirqiz soon became vassals to the Uyghur 回かい紇 khanate that was the successor of the mighty khanates of the Türks (Tujue 突厥).

In the 830s the Uyghur khanate disintegrated and was finally destroyed by the Qirqiz. For a while they occupied the area formerly controlled by the Uyghurs, north and south of the Tianshan Range 天山あまやま, but they withdrew again towards the northwest. Their western neighbours were the Qarluqs 葛かずら邏祿, while the Tibetan kingdom of Tubo 吐蕃 was in the south. The Qirqiz played an important role as a protective power in the Western Territories after the Chinese had lost control over this region. In 845 therefore the Tang court bestowed the khan of the Qirqiz the honorific title of Zong yingxiong wu chengming kehan 宗そう英雄ひでお武たけ誠まこと明あきら可か汗あせ "Fathering Heroes, Martial and Sincere, Brilliant Khan".

When the Liao dynasty 遼りょう (907-1125) of the Khitans 契ちぎり丹に took over northern China, the khans of the Qirqiz were appointed administrators of the Great Princedom (dawangfu 大王だいおう府ふ) of the Xiajiasi 轄戛斯. Song 宋そう (960-1279) sources call them Xiajiasi 黠戛司し, but the people of the Song empire did not know a lot about the Qirqiz. The Jurchens 女おんな真しん, founders of the Jin empire 金きむ (1115-1234), called them Geliqisi 紇里迄まで斯, and sources of the Mongol 蒙こうむ古ふる Yuan empire 元もと (1279-1368) Jilijisi 吉よし利吉としきち思おもえ. The Qing 清きよし (1644-1911) took over the Dzunghar 準じゅん噶爾 designation for the Qirqiz which was Burut 布ぬの魯特. From the 12th century on the Qirqiz moved more southwards, probably under the pressure of the Western Liao empire 西にし遼りょう (1124-1211) and the Mongols' western campaigns.

In the early 13th century the various tribes of the Qirqizes were headed by chieftains called inal (Chinese rendering yinan 亦また難なん). In 1207 one of the highest leader, called Woluosi 斡羅思おもえ, declared his willingness to become a vassal of Činggis Qaɣan, but ten years later the tribe of the Tuma 吐麻 rebelled against the suzerainty of the Mongols. They were brought down by a Mongol army under Joci 朮うけら赤あか, a son of Činggis Qaɣan. The Mongols thereupon divided the Qirqizes into nine parts, each of them consisting of one thousand military households. After Činggis Qaɣan's death the Qirqizes fell under the overlordship of Činggis Qaɣan's son Tolui 拖累 and his wife Sorghaghtani Beki 唆魯禾帖泥どろ, and were thereafter vassals of Tolui's son Arigh Böke 阿おもね里さと不ふ哥. The latter became an arch-enemy of his cousin Qubilai 忽ゆるがせ必烈, who was khan over China. Qubilai appointed Liu Haoli 李り好こう禮れい as governor (duanshiguan 斷だん事ごと官かん) of the five Qirqiz tribes.

Their territory was divided into administrative units and was administered by registrars (jingli 經歷けいれき) and administrative clerks (zhishi 知事ちじ). Liu Haoli reduced the amount of tributes the Qirqizes had to deliver annually to the Mongol court, and revived the the military agro-colonies (tuntian 屯田とんでん) in the land of the Qirqiz. In order to use them effectfully, Chinese settlers were sent to the west that brought with them agricultural tools not known by the Qirqizes, as a people of pastoral nomads and hunters. The land of the Qirqiz became a fighting ground for the many Mongol princes that challenged the power of Qubilai's line, like Qaidu 海うみ都と, or Togh Temür 脫だつ鐵てつ木き兒じ. In 1291 the Mongols established a courier route through the territory of the Qirqizes, which was a prelude to the final conquest of the Qirqiz territory by the Mongols under general Tutuha 土ど土ど哈 two years later. A lot of Qirqizes were resettled to eastern China where they founded settlements in Liaodong and Shandong.

In the 15th century the Dzunghars forced the Qirqiz to move westwards, into the Seven Rivers Area near the Balkhash Lake (in modern Kazakhstan), where they live still today. The state of Kirgizstan is named after them. They also constitute one of the National Minorities (shaoshu minzu 少數しょうすう民族みんぞく) in China, the Kerkezi 柯爾克かつ孜つとむ族ぞく.