The Japanese Missions to Imperial China were diplomatic embassies which were intermittently sent to the Chinese court. Any distinction amongst diplomatic envoys sent from the Imperial Japanese court or from any of the Japanese shogunates was lost or rendered moot when the ambassador was received in the Chinese capital.
Extant records document missions to China between the year of 600 and 894. The composition of these Imperial missions included members of the aristocracratic kuge and Buddhist priests. These missions led to the importation of Chinese culture including advances in sciences and technologies. These diplomatic encounters produced the beginnings of a range of Schools of Buddhism in Japan, including Zen.
From the sinocentric perspective of the Chinese Court in Chang'an, the several embassies sent from Kyoto were construed as tributaries of Imperial China; but it is not clear that the Japanese shared this view.
China seems to have taken the initiative in opening relations with Japan. Sui Emperor, Yangdi (kensui taishi) dispatched a message in 605 that said:
- "The sovereign of Sui respectfully inquires about the sovereign of Wa."
Prince Shōtoku responded by sponsoring a mission led by Ono no Imoko in 607. The Prince's own message contains the earliest written instance in which the Japanese archipelago is named "Nihon," literally, sun-origin. The salutation said:
- "From the sovereign of the land of the rising sun (nihon/hi izuru) to the sovereign of the land of the setting sun."
These Imperial embassies to Sui Dynasty (遣隋使, Kenzui-shi?) included Japanese oversea students for Buddhism studies.
The Imperial embassies to Tang Dynasty (遣唐使, Kentō-shi?) are the best known (total 13 times); they ended in 894. At this time, ambassadors had been appointed; and they were about to depart for China. However, the mission was stopped by Emperor Uda in 894 (Kanpyō 6, 8th month) because of reports of unsettled conditions in China. The emperor's decision-making was informed by what he understood as persuasive counsel from Sugawara Michizane.
Read more about Japanese Missions To Imperial China: Envoys To The Sui Court, Envoys To The Tang Court, Envoys To The Ming Court, Envoys To The Qing Court
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