Documents in Tang and Song China

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K01000
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03030:History of Asia and Africa-related
• Research Institution: Kochi University
• Principal Investigator: ENDO TAKATOSHI 高知大学, 教育研究部人文社会科学系教育学部門, 教授 (00261561)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 円仁 / 入唐求法巡礼行記 / 成尋 / 参天台五台山記 / 唐宋文書

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research I analyzed two records written by two Japanese monks: Ennin's "Pilgrimage to Tang Dynasty China in Search of Buddhism" and Jojin's "Pilgrimage to Tendai and Five Mountains" in the Song dynasty. In these records there are a lot of historical materials that Chinese government issued to these two monks. Since Ennin made his pilgrimage to China in his personal capacity, while Jojin made his pilgrimage as an envoy of Japanese Government, there are many differences between two materials in the form and content of the documents as well as in their interactions. Ennin applied for and received documents almost entirely on his own, and the contents of the documents also involved traveling under his personal identity. In contrast, most of the Jojin documents were written by Chinese temples on behalf of Jojin, and the content of the documents was that he made pilgrimages in China as a state envoy with the emperor's authorization.

Free Research Field

東洋史学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまで日本僧侶の文書は、個別の分析に終始していたが、時代の異なる文書を比較して分析することが少なかった。その点で、今回の研究は東大の円仁文書と宋代の成尋文書を比較し、その違いに光を当てて分析した点に大きな学術的な意義がある。また仏教は日本の社会に大きな影響があり、古代中世の日本僧侶がどのように中国で学んだかを、通行文書の側面から明らかにすることができたのは、学術のみならず社会的にも大きな意義がある。