Summary and Comments on "History of China 06: The Glamorous World Empire, Sui and Tang Dynasties" - A book to learn about the Tang Dynasty envoys, Buddhism, and Ennin!
Introduced here is "History of China 06: The Gorgeous World Empire, Sui and Tang Dynasties" written by Yasunori Kigasawa and published by Kodansha in 2005.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
The Rise and Fall of the Sui and Tang Dynasties: 300 Years of Brilliance in East Asia, 6th-10th Centuries
Silk Road, Tang Dynasty envoys, cosmopolitan city Chang'an, Empress Noriten, Yang Kwei-hui, advancement of womenThe Great Tang Empire reigned over East Asia from the 7th to the 10th century, succeeding the short-lived Sui Dynasty. The Silk Road and the cosmopolitan city of Chang'an. The remarkable advancement of women, including Empress Noriten Wuhu and Empress Yang Guifei. The outstanding literary works of Li Bai, Bai Juyi, and others. The film depicts the rise and fall of Chang'an over a period of more than 300 years, which eventually led to its destruction by a popular uprising.
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In this book, you can learn about the history of the Sui and Tang dynasties, which have close ties to Japan, such as the Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty envoys.
Ono Imoko is particularly well known for her envoys to the Sui Dynasty and Saicho and Kukai are particularly well known for their envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and this book provides an insight into the social conditions they witnessed in the Sui and Tang dynasties.
Although these Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty are familiar in Japanese history, I knew very little about the actual political situation in those periods. I had only a vague image of the Sui and Tang dynasties as world empires that boasted enormous power. That is the image of Chinese culture in all its splendor and splendor.
But in this book, we will take a closer look at how these Sui and Tang dynasties were founded and declined. Above all, it was very interesting to see how they tried to carry out the tremendously difficult task of governing the whole of China.
How do you govern a vast country in the absence of modern means of communication? This book made me think about that again. I was even awe-struck by the sheer scale of what China is capable of.
Also, the most memorable aspect of this book was the presence of Ennin, a monk who entered Tang China.
Ennin, also known as Jikaku Daishi, was the third head of the Tendai sect on Mount Hiei. One of the most famous temples he founded is Risshakuji Temple (also known as Yamadera) in Yamagata.
The author describes this Ennin as follows.
Now, while I have started my discussion from the latter half of the Tang Dynasty, let me focus a little more on the topic here. The period of the eighty-fourth century, which is almost the middle of the century, is the period up to the middle of the eighty-fourth century. In 840, King Wujong succeeded his elder brother, King Munjong, as the fifteenth emperor, and began the infamous suppression of Buddhism known as the "Abolition of Buddhism in Huichang," which reached its peak in 845. Temples and pagodas were toppled one after another, Buddhist scriptures were burned, and monks and nuns were forced to return to Buddhism.
In Chang'an, a foreigner was quietly and quietly recording the events of those days, which were filled with a kind of strange atmosphere and upsetting people's hearts. Who could it be but Ennin, the Japanese monk who would later become the third Tendai master of Mount Hieizan? He recorded his pilgrimage to Tang Dynasty China, which today would be described as an on-the-spot report written by newspaper reporters who jumped into the middle of a conflict.
Kodansha, Yasunori Kikazawa, "History of China 06: The Gorgeous World Empire, Sui and Tang Dynasties," p. 16.
I was very surprised to learn that Ennin's "The Pilgrimage to Tang Dynasty China", a book I had studied in Japanese history, was such a journalistic work.
This book takes a detailed look at Ennin's tumultuous stay in China. The situation in China from the perspective of a Japanese Buddhist monk of the time is extremely interesting.
It was a surprising read to learn that Ennin, who had such a profound influence on Japanese Buddhism, was such an experienced person. This is inspiring. I highly recommend this book. Why not pick up a copy?
This is "History of China 06: The Glamorous World Empire, Sui and Tang Dynasties" - A book to learn about Tang Dynasty envoys, Buddhism, and Ennin! The above is "Sui and Tang Dynasties: A Gorgeous World Empire".
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