Ambassadors from the Island of Immortals : : China-Japan Relations in the Han-Tang Period / / Zhenping Wang.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Backlist (2000-2014) eBook Package
• VerfasserIn: Wang, Zhenping,
• Place / Publishing House: Honolulu : : University of Hawaii Press, , [2005]; ©2005
• Year of Publication: 2005
• Language: English
• Series: Asian Interactions and Comparisons ; 14
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (408 p.) :; illus.

Using recent archaeological findings and little-known archival material, Wang Zhenping introduces readers to the world of ancient Japan as it was evolving toward a centralized state. Competing Japanese tribal leaders engaged in "ambassador diplomacy" and actively sought Chinese support and recognition to strengthen their positions at home and to exert military influence on southern Korea. They requested, among other things, the bestowal of Chinese insignia: official titles, gold seals, and bronze mirrors. Successive Chinese courts used the bestowal (or denial) of the insignia to conduct geopolitics in East Asia. Wang explains in detail the rigorous criteria of the Chinese and Japanese courts in the selection of diplomats and how the two prepared for missions abroad. He journeys with a party of Japanese diplomats from their tearful farewell party to hardship on the high seas to their arrival amidst the splendors of Yangzhou and Changan and the Sui-Tang court. The depiction of these colorful events is combined with a sophisticated analysis of premodern diplomacy using the key concept of mutual self-interest and a discussion of two major modes of diplomatic communication: court reception and the exchange of state letters. Wang reveals how the parties involved conveyed diplomatic messages by making, accepting, or rejecting court ceremonial arrangements. Challenging the traditional view of China's tributary system, he argues that it was not a unilateral tool of hegemony but rather a game of interest and power in which multiple partners modified the rules depending on changing historical circumstances.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Series Editor'S Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. The Islands Of Immortals -- 2. Chinese Insignia In East Asian Politics -- 3. The Messenger Of The Emperor -- 4. The Voyage To China -- 5. The Journey To Changan -- 6. Diplomacy In The Tang Capital -- 7. Weight And Nuances In State Letters -- 8. Information Gathering -- 9. Acquiring Foreign Talent -- 10. The Multipolar Nature Of The International System In Asia -- Appendix 1. A Chronology Of China-Japan Relations From The First To The Ninth Centuries -- Appendix 2. The Letter To The Surveillance Commissioner At Fuzhou Drafted For The Ambassador -- Appendix 3. Components Of Japanese State Letters -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index