japan 103used by the envoy. Ch’ing gave a sino-centric report on his return,
and did not miss the opportunity to flatter Emperor Yang. It is sig-
nificant, however, that he used the term “Your Majesty” (wang). With
few exceptions (one to be mentioned presently), the Chinese envoys
were tactful enough to conform to foreign etiquette, and this carried
over into Ch’ing’s report.
On Feb.25, 610, a new mission arrived from the Wo State to offer
regional objects to the Sui court (Sui shu 3:14b).
The first mission from the Wo State to the T’ang court arrived
with regional objects in the 11th month (Nov./Dec.) of 631.^4 Since
the envoys came from far away, Emperor T’ai-tsung made the empty
gesture of freeing them from “annual tribute”. He then sent the Inspec-
tor of Hsin commandery, Kao Piao-jen,^5 as his envoy to Japan. This
man had no talent for diplomacy, being the arrogant and unbending
type of Chinese who insisted on the priority of his country and rejected
foreign conventions. He wrangled about the protocol, was not satisfied,
and returned to China without having delivered T’ai-tsung’s letter.
The result was a temporary break in relations (Chiu T’ang shu 199A:
14a;T’ung-tien 185:56a; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5024; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien
p.6090;Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 324:46b).
Contacts were resumed in 649, when a communication from the
Wo State reached the T’ang court via Silla (Chiu T’ang shu 199:14a;
Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 324:46b).
Two Japanese missions with student priests in 653 and 654 are
recorded in the Nihongi but not in Chinese sources.^6
On Jan.24, 655, envoys from the Wo State presented amber, car-
nelian, and baroos camphor. The amber was as big as a peck, and
the carnelian was half that size.^7 The same year, Silla was attacked
by Koguryo and Paekche, whereupon Emperor Kao-tsung proposed
in a letter that the Japanese should give it military help (Chiu T’ang
shu 4:5a; Hsin T’ang shu 220:12a; T’ang hui-yao 99:13a; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei
p.5025;Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 324:46b).
(^4) By T’ang hui-yao 99:12b dated 11th month (Dec./Jan.,642) of the Chinese year
641.
(^5) T’ung-tien and Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao write Kao Jen-piao.
(^6) See Tsunoda and Goodrich, Japan in the Chinese Dynastic Histories, p.50 note
- 7
A peck (tou) consisted of 10 sheng, the carnelian of the offering being evaluated
at 5 sheng.