At the beginning of Han Dynasty, relations with Dongou, Fujian and Vietnam were fairly friendly. Later, with the strengthening of national strength, the Yue state of these three countries perished one after another. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty sent envoys to the southwest many times, and established Yizhou and other counties in these places. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty had closer ties with these places. The Han Dynasty also had close ties with Korea and Japan. During the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Japanese ancient slave king sent envoys to the Han Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty gave him a golden seal, which is still a national treasure of Japan.
2. The highest and closest period of diplomatic relations was Sui and Tang Dynasties.
China and Japan are neighbors separated only by a strip of water, and the exchanges between the two countries go back to ancient times. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties from the 7th century to the 9th century, the exchanges between the two countries reached a climax, which was characterized by Japanese officials sending more than 20 envoys to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The motive of Japan's sending envoys to Sui and Tang Dynasties does not exclude the factor of learning advanced culture from Sui and Tang Dynasties, but from a rational point of view, Japan's sending envoys to Sui and Tang Dynasties is an island mentality developed by Japan in order to break isolation and loneliness.
Send envoys to the Tang Dynasty
Time: early 7th century to 895.
Dynasty: Tang Dynasty
In the two and a half centuries from the beginning of the 7th century to the end of the 9th century, in order to learn China culture, the Japanese sent more than a dozen missions to the Tang Dynasty. Its high frequency, large scale, long time and rich content are unprecedented in the history of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange. The envoys to the Tang Dynasty made great contributions to the development of Japanese society and the friendly exchanges between China and Japan, bearing rich fruits and becoming the first climax of Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges.
In the middle of the 4th century, the Yamato court unified the Japanese archipelago to a great extent, and the Japanese king paid tribute to the Southern Dynasties regime in China many times and demanded titles. In 589 AD, the Sui Dynasty unified China, ending nearly four centuries of separatist turmoil in China since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the social economy and culture developed rapidly.
At that time, Shoto Kutaishi was the Regent of Japan, and he made great efforts to reform. In order to directly absorb China's advanced culture, he sent envoys to China four times (AD 600, AD 607, AD 608, AD 6 14), which was the beginning of formal exchanges between China and China as two unified countries, and also the beginning of Japanese rulers taking an active leading and helping attitude and sending large-scale cultural missions to directly absorb's advanced civilization. The envoys of Sui Dynasty can be said to be the pioneers of the envoys of Tang Dynasty.
In 6 18, the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Sui Dynasty and established Chang 'an (now Xi 'an) as its capital. The economic and cultural prosperity of the Tang Dynasty Empire was unprecedented, and it became the most powerful empire in East Asia, with high prestige and great attraction to Japan and Asian countries. However, through four missions to the Sui Dynasty, the Japanese government and people paid more and more attention to China culture, and there was an upsurge of learning to imitate China culture. In 623. Hui Qi, who had been sent to China to study in the Sui Dynasty for many years, returned to Japan and others and reported to the emperor that Datang was a country with the most complete legal system. It is suggested that envoys be sent to study in the Tang Dynasty. In order to learn the advanced system and culture of the Tang Dynasty more directly and effectively, the Japanese government decided to organize large-scale missions to the Tang Dynasty, send outstanding figures as envoys, and bring overseas students and monks to China.
In 630 AD, Shu Ming finally sent his first envoy to the Tang Dynasty. During the more than 260 years from 630 to 895, the Japanese royal family appointed 19 envoys of the Tang Dynasty during the period of Nara and Heian, of which 3 were suspended for some reason, and 16 actually happened. But once he only went to Baekje on the Korean peninsula, twice as a "farewell envoy" to the Tang Dynasty, and once as a "welcome envoy" to the Tang Dynasty because of his long time in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, in fact, the number of ambassadors from Tang Xiao whose names have been corrected is 12.
These dozens of envoys to the Tang Dynasty can be roughly divided into three periods:
Early period: 630-669 AD, * * * appointed seven times. Small task, one or two ships, one or two hundred members. The main purpose of this route is to learn the system of the Tang Dynasty.
Mid-term: 702-752 AD, the heyday, four terms. The scale of missionary work has expanded, reaching more than 500 people at a time, which has gained the most. Most of the routes are South Island Road, which passes through the southern islands. In order to comprehensively and deeply study the civilization of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and realize the whole of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, a large number of foreign students and monks studying abroad stayed in the Tang Dynasty for a long time.
Later period: A.D. 759-874, which was a declining period. * * * was appointed nine times, but actually it only happened six times. During this period, due to the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty gradually declined. As a result, Japan's enthusiasm for studying the Tang Dynasty decreased, the size of the mission decreased, and the time for international students and monks studying abroad to stay in the Tang Dynasty also decreased to one or two years. The route is mainly the Dayang Road that directly crosses the East China Sea.
At the beginning, the scale of the mission to the Tang Dynasty was about one or two hundred people, with only one or two ships. In the middle and late stage, the scale is huge, generally about 500 people and 4 ships. At most, it reached 65 1 person for the 18th time in 838. Members of the mission include ambassadors, ambassadors, judges, clerks and other officials, as well as clerks, doctors, translators, painters, musicians and other attendants, craftsmen and sailors. In addition, there are a group of foreign students and learned monks.
The envoys selected by the Japanese imperial court are mostly first-class talents who are familiar with classics and history, outstanding in talent, high in sinology and familiar with the situation in the Tang Dynasty. Even the appearance, manners and conversation are extraordinary, and even the attache has at least one skill. As for foreign students and monks, they are all excellent young people. Some of them have made their mark in China before studying abroad, and generally have made some achievements after returning home. The reason why the Japanese government chose such a strong lineup of envoys in Tang Dynasty is to better absorb the life of study, and the gifts given are almost the same as those given by ambassadors. As soon as the diplomatic envoys in Tang Dynasty returned to China safely, they immediately reported to the imperial court and held a grand welcoming ceremony. The envoy returned the sword, indicating that the mission was completed. The emperor promoted the envoy, rewarded him and showed kindness to the victims.
The envoys of the Tang Dynasty were warmly welcomed in China. After receiving the report of the arrival of the mission, the state government of the Tang Dynasty immediately welcomed the building, arranged accommodation and flew to the court. The local government sent a special envoy to escort the main members of the mission who were allowed to enter Beijing to Chang 'an, and all expenses on the way were borne by the China government. After the envoys of Tang Dynasty arrived in Chang 'an, the envoys of Tang Dynasty led horses out to meet them, offered wine and meat, got on the horses, were introduced to Beijing by the envoys, and lived in Sifang Pavilion, where the supervisor was responsible for the reception. According to the envoys in Tang Dynasty, they presented tributes, Tang Gaozong issued letters of commendation, received Japanese envoys, hosted a banquet in the inner hall, and conferred the title of envoy.
Envoys in the Tang Dynasty usually stay in Chang 'an and the mainland for about a year, so they can visit around, buy books and shop, and fully appreciate the customs of the Tang Dynasty. As usual, there was a farewell ceremony, with banquets, drinks and gifts, before sending the Tang envoys home. In addition to the preferential treatment for envoys, the Tang government also presented a large number of gifts to the Japanese court, showing the demeanor of a big country. Finally, the Tang envoys and their party were sent to the coast by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and returned with full loads.
The contribution of Tang Xiao's emissary was firstly to introduce the laws and regulations of the Tang Dynasty, which promoted the innovation of Japanese social system. When he sent Tang to Chang 'an, he eagerly studied and read a lot of books. After returning to China, he joined the central government and imitated the Tang system. For example, the Dabao Law was formulated according to the laws and regulations of the Tang Dynasty. It also imitated the educational system of the Tang Dynasty and set up various schools to teach Chinese studies and cultivate talents. In 8 18, Emperor Ge Fen, based on the suggestion of Jin Yuan Kiyohara, the envoy to the Tang Dynasty, issued a decree to change the etiquette, ordering that "all men's and women's clothes should be made in the Tang Dynasty" (Volume 123 of Great Japanese History), and even calendars, festivals and customs should be imitated by China as much as possible.
The second is to learn from the culture of the prosperous Tang Dynasty and improve Japanese culture and art. Every time envoys are sent to the Tang Dynasty, they bring back a large number of Buddhist scriptures in Chinese, and officials and people compete to praise and write Tang poems in Chinese. The poems of Bai Juyi, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, are widely circulated in Japan. Students and monks studying in the Tang Dynasty also borrowed Chinese characters or cursive scripts to create Japanese pseudonyms. The envoys also introduced calligraphy, painting, sculpture, music, dance and other arts from the Tang Dynasty, which were digested and transformed into Japanese national culture.
Even techniques such as Go and sumo and polo were introduced from the Tang Dynasty. Japanese painters, musicians and even Go experts often come to the Tang Dynasty to learn skills and watch games.
In 895 AD, the reason for abolishing the diplomatic envoys in the Tang Dynasty was not only the political turmoil in the Tang Dynasty, but also the attraction and transplantation to Tang Wenhua for more than 200 years, so as to basically complete the reform. On this basis, the national culture with Japanese characteristics began to sprout, so the demand for learning China culture is not so urgent. Moreover, the cost of sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty is very high and the road is difficult, which also makes the envoys feel afraid of the road. The trade between the Tang Dynasty and Japan also increased, which also made up for the past demand for Tang goods by sending Tang envoys. In 894 AD, Emperor Yudo accepted the invitation of the appointed but yet-to-leave ambassador 19, and officially announced that he would stop sending ambassadors to Tang in the following year.
The reason for the proximity was that China was the center of the world and Chang 'an was the heart of the world, a paradise. Li Shimin is the sweat of the world.
Japanese envoy to China in Tang Dynasty. After the Tang and Sui Dynasties, Japan followed the old system of sending envoys to the Sui Dynasty and continued to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty. In 630 (the second year of Zhaoming in Japan and the fourth year of Zhenguan in Tang Dynasty), he was sent to China for the first time, and the last time was in 838 (the fifth year of He Cheng in Japan and the fifth year of Tang Kaicheng). In 894 (the sixth year of Kuanping in Japan, the first year of Tang Dynasty), he was ready to be sent again and was appointed. Because of Sugawara no michizane's protest, he officially stopped sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty. From 630 to 894, in this 260-year period, Japanese envoys who arrived in Chang 'an sent Tang envoys back to China twice and once to Japan, with a total of 12 official missions to Tang. Mission officials are ambassadors, ambassadors, judges and clerks. In addition to about half of the helmsman and sailors, the members of the mission also include the Lord God, Bubu, Yin and Yang teachers, doctors, painters, musicians, translators and historians, as well as craftsmen from all walks of life, such as shipbuilders, shipbuilders, carpenters, casters, forgers and jade workers. Accompanied by monks and students who have lived abroad for a long time, there are also monks and students who have entered the Tang Dynasty for a short time and will return to China with the group. There are also security shooters. At first, the mission was composed of more than 200 people, two by boat, then increased to four people, and the number increased to more than 500 people, but only a few key members were allowed to enter Chang 'an.
Tang envoys boarded the ship in Nanpu (now Osaka) and set out from Hakata (now Fukuoka) via Seto Inland Sea. From the 1930s to the 1970s, the route took the North Road for about 40 years, that is, northbound along the west bank of the Korean Peninsula, westbound along the south bank of Liaodong Peninsula, crossed the Bohai Sea, landed in Shandong Peninsula, and then from Luxi to Luoyang and Chang 'an. Most of this route is sailing along the coast, which is safer and less shipwrecked. After Silla destroyed Baekje and Koguryo and unified the peninsula, the relationship with Japan was not very harmonious. Therefore, during the hundred years from 1970s to 1960s, the envoys of the Tang Dynasty took the South Island Road, that is, from Kyushu to the south, along Tanegashima, Yakushima and Amami Islands in the south, to the northwest, crossing the East China Sea of China, landing at the Yangtze River estuary, and then going north through the canal. This route mainly sails in the vast East China Sea, and it is difficult and dangerous to land. Both North Road and South Island Road need to sail for about 30 days, or even longer. After the 1970s, until it stopped sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty, the route was changed to South Road, that is, from Wudao Islands in the west of Kyushu to the southwest, crossing the East China Sea, landing in Suzhou and Mingzhou at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and going north via the canal. This route takes a short time, usually about ten days or even three days, but the risk of wind and waves is basically the same as that of Nandao Road.
The purpose of sending envoys in the Tang Dynasty is to learn from China and absorb the culture of the Tang Dynasty, so it attaches great importance to the selection of mission personnel, especially officials such as envoys, ambassadors, judges and clerks. For example, Gao Xiang Hyunri and Kibi No Asomi Makibi, who have been studying in China for a long time; Most of the members are Dr. Wen, Yishan Yiliang, Huang Xiaoye, and even more famous literary scholars (the latter two were ordered to fail). Because of their education and experience, father and son were appointed envoys one after another, which was beneficial to learn from the Tang Dynasty. The accompanying students, such as Ma Lu (Chao Heng) from Abe, formed a deep friendship with poets Li Bai and Wang Wei, and were prevented from returning to China, so they stayed in the Tang Dynasty as a secretary supervisor. Chen Yishi was regarded as a scholar in the Tang Dynasty. Doctors, musicians, painters, and craftsmen from all walks of life who entered the Tang Dynasty also had roots in their own industries, which were highly valued by the Tang people and benefited from them. The diplomatic envoys in Tang Dynasty imported a large number of books recording China's classics and history, and China culture swept the upper class of Japanese feudal society and penetrated into thoughts, literature, art and customs. A large number of Tang Dynasty cultural relics in Zhengcangyuan are the material culture imported into China by Tang envoys. In fact, the gifts given to Tang by envoys to the Tang Dynasty and the gifts given to Tang by Tang Dynasty are all needed for the exchange between the two countries.
Only about 20 students can be admitted to the Tang Dynasty, while more than 90 people accompanied the Tang envoys and merchant ships into the Tang Priest, which can be found in the literature. They traveled to the famous mountains in China, sought advice from their teachers, brought back a large number of Buddhist scriptures, statues and utensils, and introduced paintings and sculptures related to Buddhism, which promoted the development of Japanese culture. Zuicheng and Konghai founded Tiantai Sect and Yanarray Sect in Japan respectively, and imitated the Tang Dynasty, creating the atmosphere of Japanese Buddhism building temples in the mountains. Literary Criticism, Philology and History between China and Japan is an important document written by Konghai, and the Diary of Ren Yuan's Ten Years in Tang Dynasty is one of the important documents.
When the envoys of the Tang Dynasty were sent back to Japan, the Tang Dynasty sometimes sent "envoys" to accompany them. Because of the danger of sailing, they often stay in Japan and become naturalized. Such as Shen, Yuan Jinqing, etc., there are more than ten people in Japanese history books, all of whom serve in the Japanese court. Monks in the Tang Dynasty also sent envoys to Japan, the most famous of which was Jian Zhen who taught commandments in Du Dong. Tianzhu people, westerners and Nanhai people were sent to Japan with Tang envoys, and many Tang cultural relics influenced by Persia and India were also introduced to Japan. The eastern end of the Silk Road extends to Japan, and it is also useful to send envoys to the Tang Dynasty.
Japan sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty, which had a heavy financial burden. From the appointment of the envoy to the departure, it takes two or three years to prepare, including shipbuilding, organizing gifts, food and clothing, medicine, salary, expenses for overseas students and monks in the Tang Dynasty, and so on. When we took Nandao Road and Lu Nan Road, we didn't know the law of monsoon, and the stormy waves would split the boat in half at any time. Almost all the ships were wrecked on the way back and forth, only once came and left safely. Therefore, the envoys to the Tang Dynasty not only prayed to the gods and buddhas before departure, but also prayed to the Buddhist Guanyin, the Shinto-like Kyrgyzstan God and even Silla God during the voyage. Although it is an honor to be appointed as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty, some people are timid. When taking the North Road, the envoys of the Tang Dynasty once every seven and a half years, and once every twelve and a half to twenty years. After 838, I considered sending it for 55 years and finally stopped. This, of course, is related to the saturation of Japanese absorption of Tang Wenhua and the decline of the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, it is also because of the heavy burden and difficult navigation. After the 9th century, the Tang Dynasty and Silla merchant ships between China and Japan increased greatly. Merchant ships in the Tang Dynasty mastered the laws of monsoon, and generally went to Japan by southwest wind in July and returned by northeast wind in March, April and August. These merchant ships have shorter voyages, fewer accidents and shorter intervals. Therefore, there are many returned students who stay for a short time, such as Hui 'e, a Japanese monk who traveled back and forth between China and Japan three times in the middle of the 9th century. Although the mission to the Tang Dynasty stopped, it did not hinder the continuation of cultural exchanges between China and Japan.