A Thousand Year Old "Pass" - A Search for the "Guo Suo" in the Tang Dynasty
2023-06-25
At the end of May this year, 56 documents related to the Japanese monk Yuan Zhen's "entering the Tang Dynasty to seek Dharma", including two "passes" issued during the Tang Dynasty for passage, were included in the UNESCO World Memory List. As valuable evidence of the distant cultural exchange between China and Japan, these documents have been included in the "World Memory List" and have attracted widespread attention from various sectors in Japan. In March of the 9th year of the Tang Dynasty's Dazhong reign, the Yuezhou Governor's Office issued a pass to the Japanese monk Yuan Zhen from Kaiyuan Temple in Yuezhou to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, known as the "Yuezhou Governor's Office Pass". In November of the same year, Shangshu Sheng of the Tang Dynasty issued Yuanzhen a pass to return to Tiantai Mountain in Zhejiang Province from Chang'an, that is, "Shangshu Sheng Province Simen Pass Office". These two paper Tang Dynasty passes have been well preserved for more than 1000 years in the Mitsui Temple, Ōtsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Recently, the reporter saw the precious documents of the Tang Dynasty such as "Yuezhou Governor's Office" and "Shangshu Sheng Provincial Simen Office" in Sanjing Temple. They are well preserved, with complete paper and clear handwriting. These two "Guo Suo" items are collected in the Mitsui Temple Collection, which houses 53 important Japanese cultural relics such as Buddha statues and paintings, including national treasure level cultural relics. Junyan Fujia, the 164th generation abbot of Mitsui Temple, told reporters that "the residence of the governor of Yuezhou" and "the residence of Shimen, Shangshu Sheng Province" are unique cultural relics in the world. "From this perspective, they are also the most precious in the national treasure." Yuanzhen is the nephew of Master Konghai, a Japanese monk who studied in the Tang Dynasty. In 853 AD, Yuan Zhen entered the Tang Dynasty and studied at Kaiyuan Temple in Fuzhou, Guoqing Temple in Tiantai Mountain, and Qinglong Temple in Chang'an. In 858 AD, Yuanzhen returned to Japan with a large number of sutras and props, and was honored as the first generation leader of Mitsui Temple, and became the founder of Tiantai. During the period of seeking Dharma in the Tang Dynasty, Yuan Zhen was warmly received by people from all walks of life. After returning to Japan, Yuan Zhen maintained close contact with Tang Dynasty merchants and received scriptures and other materials they constantly brought back from the Tang Dynasty. At the age of 68, he received a poem from Master Qingguan of Guoqing Temple: "The crescent moon on Ruishan is cold, and the ancient style of Taiqiao is clear." Yuan Zhen's personal experience and his correspondence with Tang Dynasty people have become historical witnesses of cultural exchanges between China and Japan. According to Fukuda Junyan, Sanjing Temple has been burned multiple times in its history, and most of the cultural relics related to Yuanzhen have been damaged and lost. However, the two "Guosuo" seals have been preserved for thousands of years, making them a miracle. He said that whenever there is a critical moment, every generation of custodians of Sanjing Temple will do everything possible to protect the two "belongings" brought back by Yuan Zhen. Walking in the 1300 year old Sanjing Temple, one can feel the strong atmosphere of Chinese culture. The Tang court here was a temple built by Yuan Zhen after returning from the Tang Dynasty to collect scriptures and other materials; The statue of Fudaishi, a famous Chinese Buddhist, is carved in the "All Sutras" niche in the Sutra Pavilion of Sanjing Temple. 64 year old Junyan Fujia is a fan of Tang poetry. In the tea house of the temple hangs the poem "Farewell to Uncle Yun in Xuanzhou Xie Tiao Tower" written by Li Bai, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, which he wrote with a brush. Fukuda Junyan believes that the many cultural relics left by Yuan Zhen, including the two "Guo Suo" letters, bear witness to the long history of exchanges between Japan and China, and contribute to enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples. He said, "Cultural relics should not only be used for preservation and collection, but also for inspiring future generations. I hope everyone can
Edit：Luo yu Responsible editor：Jia jia
Source：xinhuaNet
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