Texts reach Yamato

How did book culture first come to Yamato (ancient name of Japan) from China? Who brought the first books and how were they received by Japanese society? Watch Prof. Sumiyoshi tell the story.

Books introduced in the video

^{Vinaya in Four Parts (Dharmagupta vinaya) (740)
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Share your knowledge

When and how did the text culture in your country or region begin? If you have any knowledge to share, please do so in the comment area.

Period names that appeared in the video

(#) in the English subtitle indicates the name of the period. Please refer to the following Chinese period names appeared in the video as well as Step1.3 “East Asian History at a Glance”.

• China: Period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (439-589)
• China: Suí (581-618)
• China: Táng (618-907)
• Japan: Nara period (710-794)
• Japan: Edo period (1603-1868)
• Japan: Tempyō era(729-749)

Historical figures introduced in the video

(*) in the English subtitle indicates the name of the person. In this video, the following persons are introduced.

• Prince Shōtoku (Shōtoku Taishi, 574-622)
• Fujiwara Kōmyōshi (Empress Kōmyō, 701-760)
• Emperor Shōmu (701-756)

Keywords introduced in the video

• Mahayana