Japanese Missions to Sui-Tang China

To increase its contact with China, Japan started to dispatch official envoys to the Sui Dynasty in 600 who were mainly tasked with learning about Chinese Buddhism, culture, and governance. The many missions to Sui China prepared Japan for larger missions to Tang China in every way.

During the 7th and 9th centuries, Japan sent a dozen missions to Tang China on different occasions. Group composition and size varied, but they were invariably large, always exceeding 100 and sometimes over 500 individuals. Tasked with learning from China, the missions brought back myriad laws, bureaucratic practices, culture, art, science, technology, and folk customs which, shaped Japanese society in substantial ways.

The centuries of Japanese missions to Sui-Tang China not only introduced rituals, laws, and culture of Sui-Tang China to Japan but also offered the Sui-Tang Chinese a glimpse of the culture and history of their neighbor Japan, making it a profound event in the history of Sino-Japan friendly exchange.

遣隋遣唐使

600年，為了加強與中國的交往，日本開始向中國派出遣隋使。學(xué)習(xí)中國佛法和文化制度是派出遣隋使的主要目的。日本曾多次派出遣隋使，為日后大規(guī)模派遣遣唐使做好了各方面的準備。

7—9世紀，日本先后向唐朝派出十幾次遣唐使團。遣唐使團的構(gòu)成和規(guī)模因時期而不同，每次派遣多達百人以上，有時多達五百余人。遣唐使的派遣目的在于向中國學(xué)習(xí)。許多律令制度、文化藝術(shù)、科學(xué)技術(shù)、風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣等通過遣唐使傳入日本，對日本的社會發(fā)展產(chǎn)生了重大影響。

在遣隋遣唐使前往中國長達幾百年的學(xué)習(xí)中，他們不僅將隋唐時期的禮儀、法制、文化帶回日本，也讓隋唐人民了解到鄰邦日本的文化與歷史發(fā)展，成為中日友好交流史上濃墨重彩的一筆。