Farewell Poems and Letters from the People of Tang (Tojin sobetsushi narabini sekitoku)

Paper Manuscript in Ink / Two Scrolls, Eighteen Documents

  • Volume 1[1st Document] Gao Feng, One seven-character quatrain; “Yesterday's Parade at the Entrance of the North Hall of Hongluo”
  • [2nd Document] (Gao Feng) One seven-character regulated verse poem: “A Poem on Thinking of My Hometown in Autumn”
  • [3rd Document] Cai Fu, Four seven-character quatrains: “Four Poems on Farewell to the Eminent Monk on His Return to Beijing”
  • [4th Document] (Gao Feng) One seven-character regulated verse poem, one seven-character quatrain “A Poem to the Master Who Journeyed to the West in China and Gained His Purpose. He then Returned to His Home Country and Was Ordered to Enter the City.”
  • [5th Document] Gao Feng, One seven-character regulated verse poem: “A Poem in Rhyme with a Poem of Tiantai in Memory of the Master”
  • [6th Document] Li Da, One seven-character quatrain: “Rhymes with the Eminent Monk's Memory of Tiantai”
  • [7th Document] Zhan Jingquan, Two seven-character quatrains: “I Respectfully Received the Eminent Monk's Wonderful Poem, and Disregarding My Own Lack of Skill, I Have Attempted a Poem in the Same Rhyme.”
  • [8th Document] Cai Fu, One seven-character quatrain: “A Poem Presented to the Eminent Monk who Returned from the Tang Dynasty and Welcomed a New Emperor”
  • [9th Document] Cai Fu, Two seven-character quatrains: “Two Poems on the Eminent Monk Who Returned from the Tang Dynasty and Thinking of the Days in Tiantai”
  • Volume 2[1st Document] Letter from Dogen “A Farewell Poem for the Supervisor of the Jennei Provider Returning to the East from the Qin Dynasty”
  • [2nd Document] Letter from Zhan Jingquan and others “Invitation to the Eminent Monk and His Followers”
  • [3rd Document] Letter from Li Da “I Haven't Seen You For a Long Time”
  • [4th Document] Letter from Chen Jifang “The Special Envoy Arrives”
  • [5th Document] Letter from Chen Taixin “The Beginning of Spring Is Still Cold”
  • [6th Document] Letter from Chang Ya “A Year's Difference”
  • [7th Document] Cai Fu, Two seven-character quatrains: “A Poem about the Eminent Monk's Passionate Journey to the Emperor's Capital and Other Roads in the Tang Dynasty, Searching for the Scriptures and Returning to His Country, etc.”
  • [8th Document] Letter from Shi Jing “Unbearable Grief over the Death of a Friend”
  • [9th Document] Letter from Xu Zhi “Two Pieces of Birdseye Damasks, etc.”
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This is a compilation of eighteen farewell poems and letters sent to Enchin by individuals he interacted with during his quest for Buddhist teachings in Tang China, organized into two volumes. These documents serve as primary sources detailing the interactions between this 9th-century Japanese monk and Chinese monks, sea merchants, and officials. They sometimes exchanged information and sometimes gifts along with sutras, providing rare and valuable insights into personal cross-border exchanges and the actual activities of sea merchants. In particular, the Chinese sea merchants appearing in these documents are known to have traveled back and forth between Japan and China annually, engaging in trade and also acting as messengers for people in both countries, building a bridge between the two nations.

Category
National Treasure
Era
Tang Dynasty - Heian Period (9th century), Volume 1: [Document 1] 858; [Document 2] 858; [Document 3] 858; [Document 4] 858; [Document 5] 858; [Document 6] 858; [Document 7] 858; [Document 8] 858; [Document 9] 858; Volume 2: [Document 1] 858; [Document 2] October 11, 858; [Document 3] December 9, 858; [Document 4] September 1, 863; [Document 5] January 4, (859-877); [Document 6] May 19, (859-877); [Document 7] October 21, 858; [Document 8] April 25, 862; [Document 9] (859-877).
Measurements
Volume 1: [Document 1] 29.5 × 42.5 cm; [Document 2] 29.6 × 42.0 cm; [Document 3] 29.6 × 44.5 cm; [Document 4] 29.5 × 43.0 cm; [Document 5] 29.5 × 42.5 cm; [Document 6] 31.3 × 35.5 cm; [Document 7] 29.0 × 42.0 cm; [Document 8] 31.3 × 35.5 cm; [Document 9] 29.5 × 42.7 cm; Volume 2: [Document 1] 30.0 × 41.5 cm; [Document 2] 30.0 × 44.0 cm; [Document 3] 32.0 × 42.5 cm; [Document 4] 29.5 × 46.0 cm; [Document 5] 29.0 × 41.5 cm; [Document 6] 29.0 × 41.5 cm; [Document 7] 28.0 × 49.5 cm; [Document 8] 29.8 × 43.5 cm; [Document 9] 30.6 × 39.0 cm.

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