佛祖統紀 43.45

43.45

雍熙元年三月。日本國沙門奝（丁幺切）然來朝。然言。其國傳襲六十四世八十五主。至應神天皇。始傳中國文字。至欽明天皇壬申歲。始傳佛教於百濟。當梁承聖初年。至用明立有太子名聖德。年七歲便悟佛法。於菩提寺講勝鬘經。感天雨華。始遣使入中國求法華經。當隋開皇中也。至孝德立。白雉四年遣僧道照入中國從奘法師傳法。當唐永徽四年也。次足姬立。令僧智通入中國求大乘法。當顯慶三年也。次文武立。寶龜二年令僧玄昉入中國求法。當開元四年也。次孝明立。天平勝寶四年遣使入中國求內外教典。當天寶中也。次元武立。遣僧空海入中國傳智者教。當元和年中也（貞元元和間。有日本最澄。受荊溪一宗疏記以歸。當以此為傳教之始可也。而奝然乃言空海傳教。而不及最澄何耶。唐書亦言空海肆業中國二十年。然吾宗未見空海傳教之迹。今據釋門正統云。空海入中國學密教於不空弟子慧果。始知奝然言學智者教者誤也）次文德立。令僧常曉入中國求釋迦密教。當大中年也。上聞其王一姓傳繼臣下皆世官。謂宰臣曰。島夷君臣乃能世祚永久若是。奝然求謁五臺及回京師。乞賜印本大藏經詔有司給與之案唐書。日本漢倭人也。去京師萬四千里。直新羅東南在海中島。左右小島五十餘。皆自名國而臣附之。其俗多女少男。有文字尚浮圖。其王姓阿每氏。初主號天御中主彥歛。五十二世皆以尊為號。居竺紫城。彥子神武立。更以天皇為號。徙治大和州。又十六世至應神。又十四世至欽明。又二世至用明。當隋開皇末。始與中國通。又四世至皇極。當正觀五年。遣使入朝。極子孝德立。始改元白雉獻武魄大如斗馬腦若五升器。又二世至天智。遣使與蝦蛦人偕朝。又二世號總持。遣使賀平高麗。當咸亨元年也。至是始改號日本。言其國在東近日所出也。長安元年持子文武立。改元大寶。遣使粟田貢方物。武后授司膳卿還國。又二世聖武立。改元白龜。開元初粟田復來朝。請從諸儒授經。詔四門助教趙玄默即鴻臚寺為師。悉賞物貿書歸。聖武女孝明立。改元天平勝寶。四世元武立。當貞元末年。遣使者朝期學者橘免勢浮圖空海。留肆業二十年。乃還。又五世文德立。又三世光孝立。當光啟元年也（唐祖景帝諱虎。如龍虎虎丘虎魄。並出以武家）。

In the third month of the first year of the Yongxi reign era, the Japanese monk Chōnen came to court. Chōnen stated that his country had been passed down through sixty-four generations and eighty-five sovereigns. It was during the reign of Emperor Ōjin that Chinese writing was first introduced. In the renshen year during the reign of Emperor Kimmei, Buddhism was first transmitted from Baekje, which corresponded to the early Chengsheng era of the Liang dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Yōmei, there was a crown prince named Shōtoku, who awakened to the Buddhadharma at the age of seven. At Bodhi Temple, he expounded the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, which caused the heavens to rain flowers. He then first sent envoys to China to seek the Lotus Sūtra, which was during the Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Kōtoku, in the fourth year of Hakuchi, he dispatched the monk Dōshō to China to receive the Dharma from Master Xuanzang, which corresponded to the fourth year of the Yonghui era of the Tang dynasty. Next, Empress Saimei ascended the throne and ordered the monk Chitsū to go to China to seek the Mahāyāna teachings, which corresponded to the third year of the Xianqing era. Next, Emperor Temmu ascended the throne, and in the second year of Hōki he ordered the monk Gembō to go to China to seek the Dharma, which corresponded to the fourth year of the Kaiyuan era. Next, Empress Kōken ascended the throne, and in the fourth year of Tempyō-shōhō she dispatched envoys to China to seek internal and external scriptural texts, which was during the Tianbao era. Next, Emperor Kammu ascended the throne and dispatched the monk Kūkai to China to transmit the teachings of Zhizhe, which was during the Yuanhe era. (Between the Zhenyuan and Yuanhe eras, the Japanese monk Saichō received the commentaries of the Jingxi school and returned; this should be regarded as the beginning of the transmission of our school. Why did Chōnen say that Kūkai transmitted the teachings, without mentioning Saichō? The Book of Tang also states that Kūkai pursued his studies in China for twenty years. However, our school has seen no trace of Kūkai transmitting its teachings. Now, according to the Orthodox Lineage of the Buddhist Tradition, Kūkai entered China and studied Esoteric Buddhism under Amoghavajra's disciple Huiguo. Thus, it is known that Chōnen was mistaken in saying that he studied the teachings of Zhizhe.) Next, Emperor Montoku ascended the throne and ordered the monk Jōgyō to enter China to seek the esoteric teachings of Śākyamuni, which was during the Dazhong era. When the Emperor heard that the kings of that land were of a single surname across generations and their ministers all held hereditary offices, he said to the prime ministers: "How can the rulers and ministers of those island barbarians maintain their dynastic succession for so long like this!" Chōnen requested to visit Mount Wutai, and upon his return to the capital, he petitioned to be granted a printed edition of the Great Canon. An imperial decree ordered the relevant officials to give it to him. According to the Book of Tang: Japan was the land of the Wo people during the Han. It is fourteen thousand li from the capital, directly southeast of Silla, situated on islands within the sea. Around it are more than fifty small islands, all naming themselves countries and subordinate as vassals. Their customs feature many women and few men. They possess writing and revere Buddhism. Their royal surname is Ame. Their first ruler was called Ame-no-minakanushi Hikonagisa. For fifty-two generations, all used mikoto as their title, residing in the city of Tsukushi. Hiko's son Jimmu ascended the throne, changed the title to Tennō, and moved the seat of government to Yamato Province. After another sixteen generations came Ōjin; after another fourteen generations came Kimmei; and after another two generations came Yōmei. At the end of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, they first established relations with China. After another four generations came Kōgyoku, who sent envoys to court in the fifth year of the Zhenguan era. Kōgyoku's son Kōtoku ascended the throne, first changed the reign era to Hakuchi, and presented amber as large as a peck and agate like a five-sheng vessel. After another two generations came Tenji, who sent envoys together with the Emishi to court. After another two generations came the ruler titled Sōji, who sent envoys to congratulate on the pacification of Goguryeo, which was in the first year of the Xianheng era. It was then that the name was first changed to Japan, saying that the country lay in the east, close to where the sun rises. In the first year of the Chang'an era, Sōji's son Mommu ascended the throne, changed the reign era to Taihō, and sent the envoy Awata to present local products. Empress Wu appointed him Minister of the Court of Imperial Provisions before he returned to his country. After another two generations Shōmu ascended the throne and changed the reign era to Hakuki. In the early Kaiyuan era, Awata came to court again, requesting to receive the classics from Confucian scholars. An imperial decree directed the Assistant Instructor of the Four Gates, Zhao Xuanmo, to serve as his teacher at the Court of State Ceremonial. He returned home after spending all his rewarded goods to purchase books. Shōmu's daughter Kōken ascended the throne and changed the reign era to Tempyō-shōhō. Four generations later, Kammu ascended the throne, and at the end of the Zhenyuan era, he sent envoys to court, including the student Tachibana no Hayanari and the Buddhist monk Kūkai, who remained to pursue their studies for twenty years before returning. Five generations later Montoku ascended the throne, and three generations later Kōkō ascended the throne, which was in the first year of the Guangqi era. (The Tang ancestor Emperor Jing had the taboo name Hu, so expressions like 'dragon and tiger', 'Tiger Hill', and 'amber' were changed under the Wu dynasty to avoid it.)