1.
envoy to Tang China; Japanese embassy to Tang dynasty China
Official diplomatic missions sent from Japan to Tang dynasty China between the 7th and 9th centuries. These missions played a crucial role in importing Chinese culture, political systems, Buddhism, and technology to Japan.
遣唐使は中国の文化を日本に伝えた。
The envoys to Tang China brought Chinese culture to Japan.
遣唐使の航海は命がけだった。
The voyages of the Tang envoys were life-threatening.
894年に菅原道真の進言で遣唐使は廃止された。
In 894, the Tang envoy missions were abolished on the recommendation of Sugawara no Michizane.
BACKGROUND:
The 遣唐使 missions (630-894 CE) were Japan's primary means of importing Chinese civilization during the Nara and early Heian periods. Envoys brought back the 律令 legal system, Buddhist scriptures, art, architecture, and writing systems. The missions were dangerous — many ships were lost at sea.
RELATED TERMS:
- 遣隋使 — the earlier missions to Sui dynasty China
- 菅原道真 — the scholar who proposed ending the missions
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 遣唐使を派遣する (to dispatch envoys to Tang)
- 遣唐使の廃止 (abolition of the Tang envoy missions)
- 遣唐使船 (envoy ship to Tang)