1, there were Chinese characters in ancient Japan, which were introduced to Japan by China through Korea.
The pronunciation of these Chinese characters imported from Korea is different from that of ancient Chinese, which I will talk about later.
Most Chinese characters in ancient Japan have three pronunciations.
The first is the Japanese pronunciation at that time (note: it is different from modern Japanese pronunciation)
The second is pentatonic (the pronunciation of southern China in ancient times, which was introduced to Japan through Korea).
The third is Tangyin/Song Yin (this is the pronunciation that was introduced into Japan directly without going through Korea).
For ordinary people at that time, knowing the first pronunciation was enough, and there was no need to write, because ordinary people didn't have much education.
It is necessary for intellectuals to be familiar with the first and third pronunciations. The first one must be able to write (this is nonsense), and the third one is not mandatory.
For high-ranking aristocrats, all three should know, especially the second one. Although it is difficult and few people can master it, it is shameful for aristocratic officials and ministers not to know it.
How's it going? You got it?