Yasushi Inoue is a contemporary Japanese novelist, and many of his works are about historical themes.It is his work in 1958. It is based on the "Tang Monk Dongzheng Biography" written by the Japanese real Yuan Kai, and it writes about the historical sites of Master Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty in China. Master Jianzhen (688-763) was an eminent monk in the law school of Daming Temple in Yangzhou. In the first year of Tianbao (742) of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he received the request of Rongrui and Puzhao, the Japanese monks studying abroad, and resolutely vowed to travel to Japan. Due to the difficulties in transportation between China and Japan at that time, , "The sea is dense and there is no wave", and various resistances in the society. In the past eleven years, he set out six times, failed five times, sailed three times, and went through all kinds of hardships. Finally, in the twelfth year of Tianbao (754), he and his accompanying disciples successfully passed the day.At that time, he was blind in both eyes and was getting old.He worked hard in Japan to teach the Dharma, explain the classics, promote the precepts, build Buddhist temples, and teach his disciples. For ten years, he made a significant contribution to the development of religion, especially culture, in the Nara period of Japan, leaving a far-reaching legacy for future generations. His deeds are widely spread among the Japanese people, and he has become a well-known scholar of Japanese cultural history, even known as the great benefactor of Japanese culture. He is a memorable and brilliant figure in the history of friendly exchanges and cultural exchanges between the people of China and Japan. .He died in Japan in the seventh year of Tianping Baozi (763), and this year marks the 1,200th anniversary of his death.

Jianzhen lived in the era of Kaiyuan and Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty, when feudal culture was highly developed in Chinese history.Yangzhou, the area where he was active in China, was not only a place where the economic and cultural essence of the Tang Dynasty gathered, but also an international city in the East at that time, and a major center where cultures from various countries converged.Jianzhen was profoundly educated. In extensive social practice, he had been in contact with the masses for a long time, mastered many cultural achievements at that time, and accumulated rich experience. Among his disciples, there were also many talents with expertise in various fields.His travel to the East to spread the Dharma was actually in the form of a monastic organization, using collective strength to spread the highly mature culture and art of the Tang Dynasty to Japan. Through his personal lofty virtue, profound knowledge and strong The will of the people has successfully completed the mission of the times as a cultural messenger.

As far back as the Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, Japan had a history of continuous communication with China. In the seventh century AD, Japan gradually developed from a primitive clan state to a legal state, that is, it mainly adopted the Based on the imported Confucianism and Buddhist thought, combined with the traditions of the country, they established their own culture.As far back as 607 A.D., during the Tuigutian Dynasty, the regent Prince Shotoku sent Ono Meizi to the Sui Dynasty for the first time. In the Tang Dynasty of China, she sent a large-scale envoy to the Tang Dynasty every few years. In addition to improving China, it is to import Chinese culture and learning to Japan, and to send leftover students and monks to study in China.

This novel begins in 732, the fourth year of Emperor Shomu Tenpei of Japan, and the 20th year of Kaiyuan Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, when Japan sent the ninth envoy to Tang Dynasty to China. The story of Jianzhen's crossing of Japan effectively demonstrates the arduous journey of friendly exchanges and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the two countries in ancient times.For the cultural construction and development of a country, many unsung heroes have paid a heavy price. Many foreign students have spent years in foreign countries and studied hard for a long time to learn some knowledge, but the result is only to die in the sea.The overseas monks Rongrui and Puzhao, in order to hire eminent monks to teach the precepts to the motherland, wandered in foreign countries for a long time and went through hardships. In the end, he returned home victorious with Junior Brother Jianzhen.The book also describes the different lives and strange fates experienced by several other overseas students and monks.Together with these Japanese, I also wrote about several disciples who accompanied Jianzhen. As long as they are with the master, they will not hesitate to face any hardships, such as the young and handsome Sito, and Xiangyan who even sacrificed himself. life characters.

Through the vivid depiction of these characters, the colorful depiction of the politics, society, culture and life of the two countries in ancient times, as well as several thrilling scenes of life on the voyage, the author prominently demonstrates how the ancient culture envoys appreciate The lofty character and strong will of a true mage, an indomitable spirit of sacrificing his life in order to complete a noble mission.For example, the scene of meeting Japanese monks at the Daming Temple in Yangzhou and making a vow to cross the east is solemn and awe-inspiring; on the second voyage, with the wind and the current, on the way back to Yangzhou after crossing Hainan Island, the excitement of talking to Rongrui’s body The scenes of people's hearts are all written with the most refined pen and ink to describe the spiritual outlook of this historical figure.

At the end of the novel, it is written that Jianzhen and others arrived in Japan, set up altars to teach precepts, taught scriptures and preached, built Buddhist temples and many other deeds, until Jianzhen passed away, and summarized his ten-year activities in a short chapter; The pair of owl tails that were later decorated on the main hall of Toshodai-ji Temple in Nara symbolize the kinship between Japanese culture at that time and the culture of the Tang Dynasty to end the book.What is written here are all Buddhist characters and Buddhist activities, and there are also small episodes such as dreams, visions, etc., but if we understand the important position that Buddhist culture occupies in the development of ancient Japanese culture, we will understand the spread of these religions The great significance of the story in the history of cultural exchange.

It was through the spread of Buddhism that Jianzhen and his disciples made great contributions to the ancient Japanese culture.For example, Toshodai Temple, which they have painstakingly built for a long time in Japan, is the largest and most beautiful ancient building in Japan from the Tenpyo period. Its entire structure and decoration are sufficient to represent the most developed techniques and styles of Tang Dynasty temple architecture and sculpture.There are still many Buddha statues hand-made by Jianzhen and his disciples for Tangzhaodai Temple, which are the most advanced achievements of sculpture art at that time.According to records, there are still three murals in the temple. Although there is no physical evidence now, Jianzhen brought Buddhist paintings with him when he traveled eastward. Among the entourage, there must be talented painters; This year was also the era when Chinese painting was advancing by leaps and bounds. It is conceivable that the painting art brought by him would have an impact on the history of Japanese painting.

Jianzhen is also good at medicine. When he was in Yangzhou, he often used medicine to help the poor. In Japan, there is a legend that he cured the Empress Dowager Guangming.It is also said that Japanese medical knowledge was still low at that time, and the authenticity and falsehood of the medicines were mixed.In Japan, "Master Jianzhen's Secret Recipe" was handed down, which is said to be his prescription record.Before the fourteenth century, Japanese medicine regarded Jianzhen as its ancestor.Before the Tokugawa period, the portrait of Jianzhen was still stuck on the Japanese medicine bag.Its contribution to the Japanese pharmaceutical industry is also conceivable.

Among Jianzhen's disciples, some were good at poetry and prose, and they also made a lot of contributions to the development of Japanese Chinese literature.They taught precepts and laws in Chinese, which enabled Japanese monks to learn extensively and greatly popularized Chinese knowledge. Mastering Chinese language made it very convenient for the ancient Japanese people to absorb Chinese culture. So far, there are still many "Chinese pronunciations" in Japan. Tang Yin", which is also very important for the blood relationship between Chinese and Japanese cultures.In the biography, Si Tuo, a disciple of Jianzhen, is famous for his prose and has quite a lot of works. As historical biography literature, there are two books, "Jianzhen Monk Biography" and "Yanli Monk Record", which have been lost today.According to research, in 779, Danhai Zhenyuan of Japan published "Tang Dahe Shangdong Expedition Biography", which is based on Sito's "Jianzhen Monk Biography".Up to now, in "The Legend of the Eastern Expedition", Sito's poem "Shangjianzhen Monk Biography of the Lamp Passing" is still preserved:

The literary activities of Jianzhen's disciples obviously also had an impact on Japanese literature at that time. The novel faithfully describes this major event of Sino-Japanese cultural exchange, vividly creates artistic images of many historical figures, and introduces readers to a distant ancient world, which not only increases our perceptual knowledge of history, but also through the historical facts. Artistic creation enables us to deeply understand the long-standing and profound cultural relations and friendly traditions of the two peoples, and encourages us to work side by side to further promote such relations and traditions in the future.