ChineseWarlord
Prince
Part 1: The Early Period: 525 to 670
The post-Yamato history of Japan can be said to begin with the introduction of Buddhism from the kingdom of Silla, in what is today Korea. Despite being a foreign religion that originated from a place that no one in Japan had heard of, Buddhism was quickly accepted as a key component of the traditional Japanese religion. In fact, the reigning emperor at the time, Keitai, gave a valuable seal to King Beopheung of Silla as thanks for introducing the way of enlightenment to the Japanese people. According to legend, Beopheung was greatly moved by this act of genorisity, and the two monarchs became close friends. This event is one explanation for the friendliness that informed early Japanese-Korean relationships.
Traders from Japan were very successful in making money from the Korean peninsula, and also brought Korean ideas with them as well. The Japanese alphabet calendar, and even early religious structure were all derived from Korea. There were of course Korean traders as well, who learned of the art of Japanese metal casting. As a result of these trades, Japanese and Korean culture became entwined and for a few decades, it seemed as if the Japanese and Koreans would eventually become one peoples. The adoption of the early Japanese Bureaucracy system by the kingdom of Baekje certainly provided some evidence supporting this claim.
The early cultural unification of Korea and Japan would never come to pass, however. In 650 AD, China was reunified under the Tang dynasty. The sudden western threat gave Korean elders concerned with the adoption of Japanese ways an excuse to claim that cultural solidarity was needed. As a result, a renaissance of Korean culture swept the Korean peninsula, and while the Koreans were still perfectly friendly to the Japanese, they were no longer willing to adopt their culture.
Despite this, the Japanese were impressed with the Tang, and although relations with China was much colder than those with the Korean peninsula, the Japanese showed their awe by building a library devoted to Chinese classics in 660. The "China Library" was of course only allowed for the Japanese nobility. Perhaps the lack of readers in Japan was the reason why the Japanese did not make their own literature until later in history. The library represented the exporting of Chinese culture to Japan, and also signaled the beginning of the shift to the early Japanese feudal period 10 years later.
Thoughts? What did you like? What didn't you like? Any advice? Any questions?
The post-Yamato history of Japan can be said to begin with the introduction of Buddhism from the kingdom of Silla, in what is today Korea. Despite being a foreign religion that originated from a place that no one in Japan had heard of, Buddhism was quickly accepted as a key component of the traditional Japanese religion. In fact, the reigning emperor at the time, Keitai, gave a valuable seal to King Beopheung of Silla as thanks for introducing the way of enlightenment to the Japanese people. According to legend, Beopheung was greatly moved by this act of genorisity, and the two monarchs became close friends. This event is one explanation for the friendliness that informed early Japanese-Korean relationships.
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
Traders from Japan were very successful in making money from the Korean peninsula, and also brought Korean ideas with them as well. The Japanese alphabet calendar, and even early religious structure were all derived from Korea. There were of course Korean traders as well, who learned of the art of Japanese metal casting. As a result of these trades, Japanese and Korean culture became entwined and for a few decades, it seemed as if the Japanese and Koreans would eventually become one peoples. The adoption of the early Japanese Bureaucracy system by the kingdom of Baekje certainly provided some evidence supporting this claim.
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
The early cultural unification of Korea and Japan would never come to pass, however. In 650 AD, China was reunified under the Tang dynasty. The sudden western threat gave Korean elders concerned with the adoption of Japanese ways an excuse to claim that cultural solidarity was needed. As a result, a renaissance of Korean culture swept the Korean peninsula, and while the Koreans were still perfectly friendly to the Japanese, they were no longer willing to adopt their culture.
Spoiler :
Despite this, the Japanese were impressed with the Tang, and although relations with China was much colder than those with the Korean peninsula, the Japanese showed their awe by building a library devoted to Chinese classics in 660. The "China Library" was of course only allowed for the Japanese nobility. Perhaps the lack of readers in Japan was the reason why the Japanese did not make their own literature until later in history. The library represented the exporting of Chinese culture to Japan, and also signaled the beginning of the shift to the early Japanese feudal period 10 years later.
Spoiler :
Spoiler :
Thoughts? What did you like? What didn't you like? Any advice? Any questions?
