102 japan
ing the dharma. Several tens of monks accompanied this mission to
study Buddhism in China. The letter addressed to the Chinese ruler
said: “The Son of Heaven of the place where the sun rises sends this
letter to the Son of Heaven of the Place where the sun sets. May you
have no illness”. Emperor Yang was displeased and said to the Her-
ald: “The letter of the barbarian is impolite”. He ordered that such
a letter should not again be presented to him (Sui shu 3:11b; 81:15a;
Pei shih 12:11a-11b; 94:28a-28b;T’ung-tien 185:56a).
The letters of 600 and 607, presumably written at the behest of
Prince ShÙtoku, are of unusual interest. They obviously are origi-
nals, composed at the Japanese court, and not translated and suitably
rephrased at the Chinese court, and they allow us to see how a self-
conscious foreign ruler or his deputy addressed his Chinese coun-
terpart. It can also be seen that the Herald, the official in charge of
envoys, read the letter before submitting it to the emperor, since he
otherwise could not withhold one which was deemed to be improper.
The flattering comparison of Emperor Yang to a Bodhisattva, on the
other hand, is no doubt a sino-centric embroidery of the interview
with the envoys.
When Ono-no-Imoko returned to Japan in 608, Emperor Yang,
sent with him the Gentleman of the Forest of Literature P’ei Ch’ing as
Chinese envoy. They sailed via Paekche. On arrival in Japan, Ch’ing
was welcomed by several 100 men with drums and horns. He was
conveyed to the palace by 200 horsemen and received in audience
by the “king”. According to Ch’ing’s report to Emperor Yang, the
“king” was greatly pleased and said:”I have heard that to the west of
the sea there is the Great Sui, a country of propriety and righteous-
ness. Therefore, I have sent [envoys] to pay court and tribute. We
are barbarians and live secluded at a cove of the sea, and we have
not learned about propriety and righteousness. Therefore, we have
been kept within our borders and have not been able to call on you...”
Ch’ing said in his response:”The virtue of our emperor combines
Heaven and Earth, and his kindness overflows the Four Seas. Because
of Your Majesty’s desire for civilization, [the emperor] has sent an
envoy to come here.” Subsequently, Ch’ing was given a banquet. The
“king” then sent envoys to follow Ch’ing back to China and present
regional objects (Sui shu 3:11b; 81:15a-15b; T’ung-tien 185:56a). P’ei
Ch’ing’s report cannot have any basis in facts. If by “king” he meant
ShÙtoku, it is perfectly possible that the latter expressed a wish that
the Japanese should learn from China, but certainly not in the terms