Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Abe Nakamaro - A Japanese student studying abroad in the prosperous Tang Dynasty

Along with the Japanese students sent to China by the Tang Dynasty Mission, they also made outstanding contributions to the cultural exchanges between Japan and China, and Abe Nakamaro is one of the outstanding ones. Abe Zhongmalu (698-770 A.D.), also known as Chaoheng and Chaoheng in Chinese, with the word Juqing or Zhongman.He was born in the family of Abe Funamori, an official in Shishi County, Yamato State, Japan. He was smart, studious and talented since he was a child. In 716, he was selected as a student sent to the Tang Dynasty. In 717, he was sent to the Tang Dynasty for the ninth time. He arrived in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, in October of the same year at the age of 19.At that time, China was in the prosperous age of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, with a stable society and prosperous culture.With a population of one million, Chang'an was one of the largest international cities in the world at that time. There were thousands of foreigners living in Chang'an, and there were often hundreds of international students studying in the Imperial College, who received preferential treatment from the Tang court.Abe Nakamaro, together with fellow Japanese students such as Kibi Mabi, Yamato Nagaoka, etc., also entered the highest university in China, Guozijian, through the arrangement of Honglu Temple, an institution that specializes in receiving foreigners. All expenses during the study period were provided by the Chinese government. .After nearly 10 years of hard study and study, Abe not only entered the Chinese household registration, but also took the imperial examination in the Tang Dynasty. In 727, he passed the Jinshi examination with excellent grades, and became an official in the Tang Dynasty.This position enabled him to read a lot of books and have the opportunity to contact the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty.Because Abe Zhongma had both morality and talent, as well as excellent poetry and prose, Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji of Tang Dynasty held him in high esteem and promoted him successively to the positions of Zuo Suyi, Zuo Buque, Secretary Supervisor, etc., and often served in front of the imperial court.Abe Nakamaro served as an official in the Tang Dynasty for more than 40 years. He went through the three dynasties of Xuanzong, Suzong, and Daizong, and was finally buried in Tang soil, which was cited as a good story by Chinese and Japanese historical records.

Abe Nakamaro made friends with many famous poets and celebrities in the Tang Dynasty, which can be called the country of poetry, and forged a deep friendship.He already had a high level of accomplishment in poetry and prose, and he often sang and discussed with poet friends of the Tang Dynasty. After being influenced, his poetry skills became more refined.There are many excellent works of singing and giving and answering between Chinese and Japanese poets.Chu Guangxi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was one of his friends. He once wrote poems in Luoyang to praise Abe's character and talent.The poem reads:

The poet Wei Wan was also his close friend. When Wei Wan was about to return to Wangwushan, the two bid farewell, and Chao Heng presented him with the fur he brought from Japan.Therefore, the famous poet Li Bai described Wei Wan in his poem: "Wearing Japanese fur, hiding the wind and dust." In 734, when the 10th mission to the Tang Dynasty under the leadership of the ambassador Toji Biguangcheng completed its mission and prepared to return to China, it was customary to bring back the students who had completed their studies with the previous mission to the Tang Dynasty.Kibi Mabi, Yamato Nagaoka and others who came with Abe Nakamaro all returned home at this time.Abe Nakamaro, who has lived in China for 17 years, also misses his motherland and relatives very much, and hopes to return home as soon as possible.But because he had been an official in the Tang Dynasty, he asked Tang Xuanzong to return to the east to visit his relatives.When the news came out, his Chinese poet friends were reluctant to leave and sent poems to bid farewell one after another.For example, the secretary Shaojian and poet Zhao Hua wrote "Send Chao Buque to Japan Poem" to send him "back to the old forest in the east corner".At the same time, I also deeply understand his ambivalence of missing his hometown Japan and reluctant to live in China for many years. This is an inner activity that only a close friend can understand.This poem has become the only work handed down by Zhao Hua.However, because Tang Xuanzong appreciated Chao Heng's talent and tried his best to keep him, he was not allowed to return to the country.Abe Nakamaro had no choice but to write a poem in return for his friend:

It expresses his feeling that he misses his hometown as a wanderer, that loyalty and filial piety are difficult to achieve, and that returning home is nowhere in sight. In 752, the 11th mission to Tang Dynasty came to China with Fujiwara Kiyokawa as ambassador and Kibi Mabi as deputy envoy.Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered Abe Nakamaro to be in charge of receiving visitors.Ji Bei Zhen Bei was his classmate who stayed in Tang together back then, and reunited after a long absence, of course he was very kind.As a Chinese official, Abe entertained them warmly and thoughtfully, and at the order of Emperor Xuanzong, he led Fujiwara and other Japanese envoys to visit the Sanjiao Hall where the Nine Classics and Three Histories are preserved. In 753, when the Tang mission was about to return home, Abe Nakamaro, who had studied in China for 36 years, once again asked to return with the mission.This time Tang Xuanzong couldn't bear to stay any longer, so he decided to promote him as Secretary Supervisor and Wei Weiqing, and as the Chinese escort envoy, he accompanied the Tang envoy back to Japan.After hearing the news, Chinese friends came to see us off together.At the farewell banquet, poets wrote poems to commemorate him one after another.Wang Wei, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, had a close friendship with Abe Nakamaro. When he heard that he was going back to China, he couldn't help feeling emotionally ups and downs, and wrote the famous article "Send Secretary Chao Jian to Japan and Preface".The long preface of this poem is more than 600 characters. It first traces the influence of Chinese culture on Japan, and praises Japan for "obeying the sage's teachings and having the style of a gentleman. There has never been any "intrigue" in the friendly exchanges between them.Then narrates that Abe Zhongmalu studied abroad in the Tang Dynasty as a young man, "became famous as an imperial school, and became an official as a guest", and hoped that he could "preach the scriptures to the people in Jueyu" after returning to China.Although Wang Wei himself had never been to Japan, he learned a lot about Japan and the maritime situation through his friendship with Japanese friends such as Abe Nakamaro. He gave full play to his rich imagination and painted a magnificent picture of sending Tang Dynasty mission ships across the sea.In his poem he wrote:

Expressed the sincere feelings of reluctance with Abe. The poet Bao Ji also wrote a poem "Send Chao Chenqing, the congratulatory envoy of Japan, back to the east".Describe Abe Nakamaro as the envoy of the Emperor of Japan and the courtier of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty: "The envoy of Kuzebo, the minister of the millennium Holy Master." Praise him for his virtues of courtesy, simplicity, and sincerity. "Wild love is more polite, and the nature of wood contains benevolence." Then he wrote about the scene of his returning home in fine clothes, "The golden sails are sailing in the wind, and the golden clothes are shining new." Finally, I hope that he will visit China again in the future, and his affection is beyond words.

At this time, 55-year-old Abe Nakamaro had been away from his home country for 36 years, and he was about to embark on his way back to his parents' country. He was excited and happy to meet his long-lost relatives.However, the years of staying in the Tang Dynasty also made him unforgettable. Once he had to say goodbye to many Chinese friends, he felt a sense of loss.This kind of ambivalence is fully revealed in his poem "Resignation from the Commander", in which he wrote: "Love the Ming Lord in the sky, and remember the loving relatives overseas." "On the one hand, the poem describes how to miss the motherland and long-lost relatives, and on the other hand, it describes the attachment to the second hometown of China and the friends who live together day and night. The feelings are sincere and moving.

When we arrived at Huangsipu, Suzhou, the port where the return ship of the envoy sent to Tang Dynasty was anchored, many Chinese friends came to see him off.It was the night of November 15th, when the bright moon was in the sky, and Abe Nakamaro was about to board the boat. Looking at the bright moon, the feeling of nostalgia arose spontaneously, and he couldn't help reciting a waka in Japanese: This is the famous "Song of Sankasa Mountain" or "Poetry of Looking Homeward" in ancient Japanese waka.At that time, Chinese friends could not understand Japanese, so he translated it into Chinese and recited it. Everyone was amazed when they heard it.Unexpectedly, after sending Tang envoys into the sea, the fleet was hit by a storm.The first ship on which Ambassador Fujiwara, Abe and others were boarded was blown away by the strong wind and disappeared.Later, the remaining three ships returned to Japan one after another, but the first ship still disappeared.It was thought that all passengers on the first ship might have been killed.

When the news reached China, friends thought that Abe Nakamaro was dead, and they were all deeply saddened.Li Bai, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty who was roaming in Suzhou at that time, was very sad when he heard the news, and wrote a poem "Weeping Chao Qingheng" with tears in his eyes: The poem tells that Chao Heng of Japan left Chang'an, and a sail shadow of the expedition passed through Penglai Island.Then Li Bai compared Abe to a bright moon, sinking in the blue sea, bringing infinite sorrow and sorrow to people. In fact, Li Bai was just a false alarm, and Abe Nakamaro did not die.The first ship was drifted to Annan in the South China Sea. Some of the crew members went ashore in Huanzhou (now Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam, which belonged to Tang Nanhai County at that time), but were attacked by indigenous people.More than 170 Japanese passengers on the first ship died, and only 10 people including Abe and Fujiwara survived.These survivors made the long and difficult trek back to Chang'an in June 755.In the following year, the Anshi Rebellion broke out in China, and the golden age of the Tang Dynasty was gone forever.Abei Zhongmalu followed Xuanzong to Shu, returned to Beijing after more than a year, and was appointed by Suzong as a regular servant of Zuo Sanqi.He was also ordered to go to Annan to deal with matters, and was appointed as the guardian of Zhennan.In the Tang Dynasty, in 766, Chao Heng, who was nearly seventy years old, was promoted to Annan Jiedu Envoy. After his term expired, he returned to Beijing and was named the Founding Duke of Beihai County. He died in Chang'an in 770 and was buried in China at the age of 73.In recognition of his achievements, Tang Daizong posthumously awarded him the posthumous title of governor of Luzhou.

Although Abe Nakamaro was promoted to a high official and noble rank in the Tang Dynasty, he never forgot his homeland. He wrote many times and asked the envoys of North Korea and Silla to bring them back to his home country to express his homesickness.Therefore, the ancient Japanese book "Gujin Jichao" said: "Nakamalu lived in Tang Fan for more than fifty years. Although he was honored and honored, he longed for his return. When he talked about his country, it was not without sadness." At that time, the Tang Dynasty negotiated with Japan. Affairs, often participated or presided over by Chao Heng, made a lot of contributions to Sino-Japanese friendship and cultural exchanges. In 836, Emperor Nimei posthumously gifted him two posthumous titles, and the imperial edict spoke highly of Abe Nakamaro: "Being involved in whale waves, his career has become a rarity, the peak of his poetry is towering, the sea of ​​learning is rising, his position has risen, and his reputation has been spread. "("Great Japanese History Biography of Abe Nakamaro")