they may miscarry, that one should arrange matters in concert with others, so as to arrive at the right conclusion.
Autumn, 9th month. The Court ceremonies were reformed. In connection with this measure, the following edict was issued:—
"On entering or leaving the Palace Gate, one must kneel on both knees, with both hands pressed on the ground, but it is permitted to stand up and walk when the threshold is passed."
In this month there were first established the Kibumi[1] painters and the Yamashiro painters.
A.D. 605. 13th year, Summer, 4th month, 1st day. The Empress commanded the Prince Imperial, the Oho-omi, and also the Princes and Ministers, all to make a vow together, and therewithal to begin to make copper[2] and embroidery images of Buddha, sixteen feet high, one of each. She also commanded Kuratsukuri no Tori[3] to be the engineer for the construction of
- ↑ The "Daishiden" ("History of Shōtoku Daishi") states that the Kibumi, Yamashiro and other painters were instituted for the painting of Buddhist pictures. They were relieved from certain taxes and allowed to make this their profession. There is some doubt whether Kibumi is the name of a place or not. It means literally yellow writing, and some think this is a description of the Buddhist Sutras which were written on tinted paper. Kibumi is also applied to Chinese books.
The Shukai quotes here a passage from a Chinese History of the Liang dynasty to the following effect:—"In A.D. 541 Pèkché sent frequent Envoys with offerings of their national products. They also asked for a treatise on the Nirvana Sutra, doctors of (ancient) Chinese poetry, and also artizans and painters. These were granted by Imperial command." This is not the only evidence of the fact that simultaneously with the stream of Chinese civilizing influences which flowed from Corea to Japan at this period, there was a corresponding current from China to Corea. The frequency of Chinese names among the Corean emigrants to Japan is a proof of this. The "Seishiroku," a sort of peerage of Japan, compiled A.D. 814, shows that at that time nearly a third of the Japanese nobility traced their descent to Corean or Chinese ancestors in something like equal proportions. The members are: China (Han), 162 families; Pèkché, 104; Koryö, 50; Imna, 9, and Silla, 9; doubtful, 47. Total, 381 foreign families out of a grand total of 1177. Many of these were descended from teachers of various kinds, and all must have contributed to the spread of Chinese civilization in the country of their adoption.
- ↑ From the "Daishiden" we learn that the "copper" was an amalgam of copper and gold in the proportion of 23,000 kin (pounds) of the former to 759 riō (ounces) of the latter.
- ↑ i.e. Tori of the Saddlers' Be.
