Japanese Missions to Tang China in Chang'an: Sub Title: Kentoshi Diplomacy, Ritual, and Urban Life, 618-907 CE - Hardcover

by Yangmin Han (Author)

From the seventh to the ninth century, Japan dispatched Kentoshi-- official diplomatic missions to Tang China-- braving the perilous maritime routes of the East China Sea to reshape diplomacy, religion, and urban life across East Asia.

While centered on the destination of Chang' an (Xi' an), this volume is crucial for understanding the Eastern extension of the Maritime Silk Road. It reconstructs the arduous sea and land routes taken by envoys, translators, and monks-- most notably the legendary Jianzhen (Ganjin). Through chronicles, epigraphy, and rich visual materials including the Toseiden Emaki, the book reveals how technologies, Buddhist institutions, and court protocols flowed from the Tang world to Nara and Heian Japan.

With 124 color illustrations, maps, and a glossary, this study brings political history into dialogue with material culture, offering fresh insights for researchers of China- Japan relations, Silk Road urbanism, and maritime history.

Author Biography

Han Yangmin is a professor at Northwest University and currently serves as the Director of the China Festival Studies Center at the university. With over forty years of research experience in the history of the Qin and Han dynasties and folklore, he has authored more than twenty books, including History of Qin and Han Culture, Festivals in Chang' an on Stamps (two volumes), Chang' an, Capital of Traditional Festivals, and A History of Chinese Folklore (Sui and Tang Volumes). He has also published novels such as The Ancient Battlefields of Guan Zhong and The Passionate Emperor.

Han is the chief editor of several major series, including Chinese Folklore Series (30 volumes, 5 million words), Chang' an Festival Series (10 volumes, 1.5 million words), Shaanxi Tourism Series (100 volumes, 15 million words), and Original Ecological Chinese Festivals (6 volumes, 900,000 words). He holds honorary positions as the president of the Shaanxi Folklore Society and the Shaanxi Festival Culture Promotion Association, as well as the president of the Xi' an Qin Bricks and Han Tiles Cultural Research Association. He has published over 200 articles in journals such as Chinese Social Sciences (English edition), Historical Research, and People's Daily (Overseas Edition).

His work A History of Chinese Folklore (Sui and Tang Volumes) received the Beijing Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Award and the Ministry of Education's First Prize. In January 2021, it was reissued by the People's Publishing House as part of the People's Library. In October 2010, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Festival Culture Annual Conference at Peking University.