Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law

Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law

The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law (入唐求法巡禮行記 nittō guhō junreikōki?) is a four volume diary written by Ennin, a Japanese Buddhist monk in China during the ninth century. He was one of eight Japanese Buddhists who studied in China at that time. He wrote his diary while he went on a Buddhist pilgrimage to China for nine and a half years (838-847). The books are translated into English as two volumes by Professor Edwin O. Reischauer of Harvard University under the title Ennin's Diary: The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law (Ronald Press, New York: 1955) and Ennin's Travels in T'ang China. The first volume is a translation of Ennin’s Diary. The second volume, a discussion of Ennin's travels, includes materials from other sources.

Ennin's travel books are precious as historical sources, although they have some errors. His book was the first written document about China and its life by a foreigner. He did not write an evaluation of what he saw, but rather wrote about religious matters and Chinese life under the Tang Dynasty. His diary is a good source on the practice of popular Buddhism in China. He described ceremonies as well. He brought back many sutras and mandalas to Japan. He struggled in his travel during the Tang’s persecution of Buddhism (842-846).

Another contribution on his books was about Korea, which records details of Korea's active trade with Northeastern China. Korean had a dominant role in trade between East China, Korea, and Japan.

References


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  • Ennin — (圓仁 or 円仁) (AD 793 Donald Keene, in his Travelers of a Hundred Ages gives Ennin s birth year as 793, not 794.] or 794 864), who is better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi (慈覺大師), was a priest of the Tendai school. Birth and… …   Wikipedia

  • Ennin — (jap. 圓仁 / 円仁; * um 793 in der Provinz Shimotsuke; † 24. Februar 864) war ein buddhistischer Mönch der Tendai shū. Sein berühmtes Tagebuch über seine Reisen im China der Zeit der Tang Dynastie ( …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ennin — (圓仁 or 円仁) (794 864 Ap. J. C.), grand patriarche bouddhiste japonais de l école Tendai (天台), mieux connu au Japon sous son nom posthume de Jikaku Daishi (慈覺大師), disciple direct de Kogyo Daîshi fondateur de cette école au Japon. Il est l auteur d… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

  • Travel literature — Travel writing and its most common sub genres First edition of …   Wikipedia

  • Edwin O. Reischauer — Infobox Person name = Edwin O. Reischauer caption = birth date = 15 October, 1910 birth place = Tokyo, Japan death date = death date and age|1990|9|1|1910|10|15 death place = La Jolla, California other names = known for = Japanology occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Райшауэр Эдвин — Эдвин Олдфатер Райшауэр (англ. Edwin Oldfather Reischauer 15 октября, 1910, Токио  1 сентября, 1990)  ведущий американский просветитель, известный ученый специалист в области истории и культуры Японии и Восточной Азии. В 1961 1966 посол США в… …   Википедия

  • Эдвин Райсшауэр — Эдвин Олдфатер Райшауэр (англ. Edwin Oldfather Reischauer 15 октября, 1910, Токио  1 сентября, 1990)  ведущий американский просветитель, известный ученый специалист в области истории и культуры Японии и Восточной Азии. В 1961 1966 посол США в… …   Википедия

  • Эдвин Райшауэр — Эдвин Олдфатер Райшауэр (англ. Edwin Oldfather Reischauer 15 октября, 1910, Токио  1 сентября, 1990)  ведущий американский просветитель, известный ученый специалист в области истории и культуры Японии и Восточной Азии. В 1961 1966 посол США в… …   Википедия

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