Book of Liang
Encyclopedia
The Book of Liang was compiled under Yao Silian
, completed in 635
. The book heavily relied on his father, Yao Ca's original manuscript, as his comments were quoted in several chapters.
The Chinese measure of distance (li) used in the Book of Liang probably corresponds to 77 metres, as is the usage for the Book of the Three Kingdoms and other writings of the period.
The Book of Liang is part of the Twenty-Four Histories
canon of Chinese history.
, and various descriptions of countries to the east of China
. One of its best-known passages is the description by the monk Hui Shen (慧深) of the country of Fusang
, 20,000 li east of China.
is thought to have been an ancient kingdom of Japan
, with its capital precinct, Yamatai
, located either in Kyūshū
or in the Kinki region.
Yao Silian
Yao Silian , courtesy name Jianzhi ,, formally Baron Kang of Fengcheng , was an official of the Chinese dynasties Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty and was the lead author of the Book of Liang and Book of Chen, official histories of Liang Dynasty and Chen Dynasty, which his father Yao Cha , a Chen...
, completed in 635
635
Year 635 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 635 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Religion :* Saint Aidan founds Lindisfarne in...
. The book heavily relied on his father, Yao Ca's original manuscript, as his comments were quoted in several chapters.
The Chinese measure of distance (li) used in the Book of Liang probably corresponds to 77 metres, as is the usage for the Book of the Three Kingdoms and other writings of the period.
The Book of Liang is part of the Twenty-Four Histories
Twenty-Four Histories
The Twenty-Four Histories is a collection of Chinese historical books covering a period from 3000 BC to the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century. The whole set contains 3213 volumes and about 40 million words...
canon of Chinese history.
Quotations on Japan and its surrounding neighbours
It contains the history of the Liang dynastyLiang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
, and various descriptions of countries to the east of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. One of its best-known passages is the description by the monk Hui Shen (慧深) of the country of Fusang
Fusang
Fusang or Fousang refers to several different entities in ancient Chinese literature, often either a mythological tree or a mysterious land to the East....
, 20,000 li east of China.
The State of Wa
WaWa (Japan)
Japanese is the oldest recorded name of Japan. Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scribes regularly wrote Wa or Yamato "Japan" with the Chinese character 倭 until the 8th century, when the Japanese found fault with it, replacing it with 和 "harmony, peace, balance".- Historical references :The earliest...
is thought to have been an ancient kingdom of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with its capital precinct, Yamatai
Yamatai
Yamatai is the first and only student group at Cornell University that is devoted to playing and spreading the art of taiko, a form of traditional Japanese drumming...
, located either in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
or in the Kinki region.
- "As for Wa, they say of themselves that they are posterity of Tàibó. The people are all tattooed. Their territory is about 20,000 li (1,500 kilometres) from our realm, roughly to the east of Guiji (modern ShaoxingShaoxingShaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...
(ZhejiangZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
)). It is impossibly distant. To get there from DaifangDaifang CommanderyDaifang Commandery was one of the remnants of the Four Commanderies of Han in the Korean peninsula.-History:Gongsun Kang, a warlord in Liaodong, separated the southern half from the Lelang commandery and established the Daifang commandery in 204 to make administration more efficient...
, it is necessary to follow the coast and go beyond the Korean state to the south-east for about 500 kilometres, then for the first time cross a sea to a small island 75 kilometres away, then cross the sea again for 75 kilometres to Miro country (Ch: 未盧國, modern TosuTosu, Sagais a city located in the east part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.-Overview:Tosu is one of the major transportation hubs of Kyūshū. Its main train station is Tosu Station which connects the Nagasaki Main Line and the Kagoshima Main Line. There is also a junction connecting the...
city in Saga PrefectureSaga Prefectureis located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
, Japan). 50 kilometers to the southeast is the country of Ito (Ch:伊都國). 10 kilometres to the southeast is the country of Nu (Ch:奴國). 10 kilometeres to the east is the country of Bumi (Ch:不彌國). 20 days to the south by boat is the country of Touma (Ch:投馬國). 10 days to the south by boat or one month by land is the country of Yamatai (邪馬臺國). There resides the King of the Wa people."
The State of Wenshen
- "The country of Wenshen is 7,000 li (500 kilometers) north-east of the country of Wa. Over their body, they have tattoos depicting wild beasts. They have three tattooed marks on their foreheads. The marks are straight for noble people, and they are small for lowly people. The people like music, but are not very generous in spite of their affluence, and do not give anything to strangers. They have houses, but no castles. The place in which their king resides is decorated with gold and silver in a manner of rare beauty. The buildings are surrounded by a ditch, about one cho in width, which they fill with quicksilverMercury (element)Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
. When there is rain, it flows on top of the quicksilver. They have many rare things in their markets. Those who are guilty of a light offence are immediately punished with leather whips. Those who commit crimes punishable by death are made to be eaten by ferocious beasts; if there has been any error, then the ferocious beasts will avoid and not eat the victim. Crimes can also be redeemed through imprisonment without food."
The State of Dahan
- "The people of Dahan are 5,000 li (400 kilometers) east of Wenshen. They do not have an army and are not aggressive. Their manners are the same as those of the country of Wenshen, but their language differs."
External links
- Text of the Book of Liang, available from http://ef.cdpa.nsysu.edu.tw/ccw/02/index.htmNational Sun Yat-sen UniversityNational Sun Yat-sen UniversityThe National Sun Yat-sen University is a public university located in Kaohsiung, Republic of China . The university is known as NSYSU ....
]. - Vol. 54 in Chinese and Japanese