Among these envoys to the Tang Dynasty, Japan sent the most. It can be said that Japan's study of the culture of the Tang Dynasty is all-round. In terms of diet, Japan also learned and inherited from the Tang Dynasty. The food culture of the Tang Dynasty had a lot of Hu style, which was related to the northern minorities at that time. After all, during the Tang Dynasty, many generals were Hu people. The characteristics of food culture in the Tang Dynasty can be divided into: Hu Hua, health preservation, religion, art and so on, which are closely related to the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty. Among these cultures, through which channels did Japan acquire the culture of the Tang Dynasty?
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One: Japan's exchanges with the Tang Dynasty
The number of envoys to Tang Dynasty from Japan is the largest, and Japan sent 19 envoys to Tang Dynasty. After these Japanese came to the Tang Dynasty, they learned all kinds of knowledge in the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, Japan was also in a period of social change, and it was in urgent need of a large number of knowledge-rich societies. In these exchanges, there have been many famous figures, such as Japanese: Abe Nakamaru and Kibi No Asomi Makibi. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a master Jian Zhen who traveled to the east to contribute to the exchanges between the two countries. Although Jian Zhen was a monk, the culture he brought to the Tang Dynasty also influenced Japan and promoted the development of Buddhism, medicine and architecture in Japan.
However, Jian Zhen's eastward journey went through many hardships, and it was not until the sixth time that it successfully landed on Japanese territory. In these exchanges, it was the thorough influence of the Tang Dynasty on Japan, and Japan also absorbed the culture of the Tang Dynasty in large quantities, accelerating the transformation of Japanese society. In these exchanges, the food culture of the Tang Dynasty gave birth to the rapid development of Japanese food. Japan's diet structure has changed, and there is a shadow of Tang Dynasty's diet culture in staple food, tea, dessert and dishes.
Second, the Tang Dynasty's influence on Japanese diet
At first, the influence of the Tang Dynasty on Japan was Buddhism, so the Buddhist food culture was introduced to Japan with Buddhism. In Buddhism, there are certain restrictions on greed, anger, delusion, lewdness, abstinence and so on. Among them, in terms of diet, fasting is the main way. Buddhism is a religion with great influence in Japan, and many people believe in it. Therefore, it is common to eat vegetarian food. In the Tang Dynasty, pasta was more common, and it also spread to Japan with communication. At that time, wheat was mainly planted in the north of China, and pasta was particularly developed.
Buddhist monks, on the other hand, do not eat meat, mainly vegetarian food, and pasta has become a substitute. Therefore, Buddhism also has a good study of pasta and has formed certain cultural laws. In the Tang Dynasty, there were various patterns and styles of pasta, which became indispensable food in the palace, such as "Hu Bing", "Biluo" and "Twisted Head". Such pasta is not only available in the palace, but also common among the people, but it is more exquisite in the palace. In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was paid more attention to, and the diet of Buddhism was also paid attention to by the court of the Tang Dynasty. And Master Jian Zhen, a famous monk, must often eat palace pasta. When he travels to Japan, he will naturally bring Tang Dynasty pasta and change the diet structure in Japan.
Driven by many monks, a new situation has emerged in Japanese pasta. In the past, it was very rare to record pasta in Japan. Moreover, before the Tang Dynasty, Japan's diet was very backward. According to the records in the History of the Three Kingdoms, Wei Shu, Biography of the Japanese in Dongyi, "Japanese people have no fertile land, and they eat sea things … live and drink water beans, and eat them by hand". From here, we can see that at that time, Japan was still eating creatures in the sea, and it used its hands without chopsticks and knives and forks. Until the Tang Dynasty completely changed Japanese eating habits, and pasta was just one of them.
Third, the development of Japanese food culture
Since learning the culture of the Tang Dynasty, Japan has also made progress. The early Japanese food structure was rice, fish, fruits and vegetables, all of which were simple food structures. Without many techniques or habits such as cooking, sugar making, frying and drinking tea in the Tang Dynasty, delicious food could not be made. This was also during the Tang Dynasty. In 646 AD, Japan experienced an important turning point, and Japan also transitioned from a slave society to a feudal society and entered a stage of rapid development. The absence of various ingredients and sugar products has always been a shortcoming of Japanese eating habits, and the Tang Dynasty completely made up for Japan's shortcomings in this respect.
From Buddhist pasta to people's favorite dishes, from coarse but refined food to eating culture, we witnessed the change of Japanese diet. Tofu is indispensable in Japanese food, and it was in the Tang Dynasty that this tofu was introduced to Japan. Tofu was also popular among the people because of the love of monks. At the same time, medicine was introduced to Japan, and medicine also promoted Japanese diet, mainly reflected in medicinal diet. In early Japan, there was no food such as medicated diet. The arrival of Chinese medicine changed the Japanese view on medicinal materials.
When medicine was introduced, dietotherapy prescriptions also came to Japan. In some medical books, the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine was recorded, such as jujube, almond, star anise, pepper and many other traditional Chinese medicines, which were edible tonics or seasonings. It can be seen that Chinese medicine can not only treat patients, but also be eaten, which is unbelievable to the Japanese. In addition to Chinese medicine, vegetables and sugar were introduced into Japan, enriching Japanese food. In terms of desserts, after the introduction of sugar-making technology into Japan, sweets and dessert foods appeared in Japan, giving people more choices in eating.
Four: Japanese who regard tea as their life.
Japanese people like drinking tea, which is famous, and also derived the tea ceremony culture. In the upper class of Japan, drinking tea is necessary, similar to that in China, while tea, tea rhyme and tea ceremony were introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the cultivation of tea in the Tang Dynasty was very mature and extensive. As tribute tea in the palace, it was famous for its preciousness. And Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty, his book Tea Classics, has a profound influence, and Japanese people regard it as a necessary classic for drinking tea. In the culture of drinking tea, at first, the Japanese regarded it as a symbol of nobility, and later it became common in the whole society.
Not to mention ancient times, even modern times, tea drinking is still popular in Japan, especially in the upper class. With the in-depth development, tea customs, tea ceremonies and tea parties in the Tang Dynasty were introduced to Japan one after another, and Japan also inherited them. Therefore, Japanese tea culture is inseparable from the influence of the Tang Dynasty. With the development of history, after the Tang Dynasty, the tea ceremony in Japan also changed. The Japanese put forward four realms of tea ceremony, which deeply influenced Japan. They were: harmony, respect, purity and silence. It is quiet, ethereal, simple and elegant, and finally achieves a comfortable mind.
In Japanese tea ceremony, there have been many conferences, such as "Kitano Tea Party" held in Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and now "Tokyo Tea Party". These cultures are inseparable from the influence of the early Tang Dynasty on Japan. Drinking tea has also changed the diet structure of Japan and promoted the development of Japanese diet culture. For China's tea, it is world-famous. Even though Japanese tea culture parted ways with China's, Japan imported tea from China every year. Not only Japan, but the whole world loved China's tea, and tea, silk and porcelain were the three major commodities in ancient China.
Five: Japanese persistent pursuit of utensils
When the diet structure changes, Japanese people also change their tableware, from simple to exquisite, which is a Japanese favorite. Because of the pursuit of food placement, there is a special demand for some utensils. Various vessels of the Tang Dynasty also spread to Japan, changing the use of these vessels in Japan, and the exquisite porcelain made the Japanese marvel and love. Japanese diet pays attention to color, shape and meaning. Here we should pay attention to the special use of utensils. Among them, the crystal clear glassware makes the Japanese fondle admiringly, which can be used to match food and better show the meaning of the environment.
Whether it is a vessel for food or a tea set for drinking tea, the Japanese have been pursuing it. Using all kinds of exquisite vessels is also Japan's pursuit of food culture. The ancients said: food is not as good as beauty. According to different needs, different utensils are used to set off the food more brightly. And the royal vessels are symbols of power and wealth, which also affects Japan. After the tri-color technology of the Tang Dynasty was introduced to Japan, Japanese porcelain was developed and many ceramics were fired, which was far from that of China. However, in terms of shape, Japanese vessels are more abundant, such as leaf-shaped, tile-shaped, rosette-shaped, square-shaped, rectangular-shaped, prismatic-shaped, octagonal-shaped, boat-shaped, etc., both symmetrical and asymmetrical, which are the pursuit of Japan in vessels.
From a slave society to a feudal society, the whole country of Japan has changed and needs to fill the backward situation. However, in the case that food is the most important thing for the people, Japan will also pursue food, from the humble diet in the early days to the comprehensive and rich state, which is the result of Japan's efforts to absorb the culture of the Tang Dynasty. Not only that, Japan also improved its food culture in the Tang Dynasty and produced many foods different from those in the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the most open dynasty in ancient China, which had a profound influence on neighboring countries and regions, as well as other parts of the world.
Countries that come to study or trade in the Tang Dynasty all admire and attract the Tang Dynasty. Under the advanced culture of China, the Han cultural circle has also formed. Japan, Korean Peninsula, Viet Nam, Ryukyu and other countries have all absorbed the advanced culture of China. Japan is the most successful and comprehensive country to absorb, from the high-level system to the food culture and religious beliefs of the people of Lebanon. They all came from the culture of the Tang Dynasty, thanks to the envoys to the Tang Dynasty and the eastward journey of Master Jian Zhen, who brought many cultures to Japan and indirectly promoted the success of Japanese social transformation.
It takes a long time for a country to transform from a slave society to a feudal society. However, after Japan's modernization, it needs new culture to support its entry into the feudal society. Japan has no advanced culture and can only absorb more advanced China culture, which is useful to Japan in any way. The absorption of food culture is only a part of China culture absorbed by Japan, which not only changes the diet structure of Japan, but also promotes the development of Japanese food culture.