The Influence of Diet in Tang Dynasty on Japanese Cuisine

During the Tang Dynasty, all-round development reached the most powerful country in the world at that time. Thus attracting countless people to this prosperous country. Chang 'an, the capital of prosperous times, has a population of one million, which shows its prosperity. Under the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, it developed in an all-round way. Among them, in the food culture, the Tang Dynasty also has a unique charm. The Tang Dynasty was a very inclusive country, so some food cultures integrated the eating habits of many ethnic minorities. Under the powerful national strength of the Tang Dynasty, they sent envoys to learn the culture of the Tang Dynasty.

Among these envoys to the Tang Dynasty, Japan sent the most. It can be said that Japan's research on Tang culture is all-round. In terms of diet, Japan also learned from and inherited the Tang Dynasty. The food culture in the Tang Dynasty had a lot of Hu flavor, which was related to the northern minorities at that time. After all, in the Tang Dynasty, many generals were conference semifinals. The characteristics of food culture in the Tang Dynasty can be divided into Hu Hua, health preservation, religion and art, which are closely related to the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty. Among these cultures, through which channels did Japan acquire the culture of the Tang Dynasty?

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One: Japan's exchanges with the Tang Dynasty

Japan sent the largest number of envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and Japan sent 19 envoys to the Tang Dynasty. After these Japanese came to the Tang Dynasty, they learned all kinds of knowledge of the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, Japan was also in a period of social change, and it was in urgent need of a large number of knowledge-rich societies. In these exchanges, many famous figures appeared, such as Japanese: Akie Abe and Kibi No Asomi Makibi. In the Tang Dynasty, a great master, Jian Zhen, went to the East and made contributions to the exchanges between the two countries. Although Jian Zhen was a monk, the culture he brought to the Tang Dynasty also influenced Japan and promoted the development of Buddhism, medicine and architecture in Japan.

However, Jian Zhen's eastward journey went through hardships, and it was not until the sixth time that he successfully landed on Japanese territory. In these exchanges, it was the thorough influence of the Tang Dynasty on Japan, and Japan also absorbed a lot of culture of the Tang Dynasty, which accelerated the transformation of Japanese society. In these exchanges, the food culture of the Tang Dynasty gave birth to the rapid development of Japanese food. The diet structure in Japan has changed. Staple food, tea, desserts and dishes all have the shadow of Tang Dynasty's diet culture.

Second, the influence of the Tang Dynasty on Japanese diet

At first, the influence of the Tang Dynasty on Japan was Buddhism, so the Buddhist food culture was introduced to Japan with Buddhism. In Buddhism, there are certain restrictions on greed, anger, delusion, lewdness, abstinence and so on. Among them, in terms of diet, fasting is the main thing. Buddhism is a religion with great influence in Japan, and many people believe in it. Therefore, vegetarianism is common. In the Tang Dynasty, pasta became more common and spread to Japan with communication. At that time, wheat was mainly planted in northern China, and pasta was particularly developed.

Buddhist monks, on the other hand, do not eat meat, mainly vegetarian, and pasta has become a substitute. Therefore, Buddhism also has a good research on pasta and has formed certain cultural laws. In the Tang Dynasty, pasta had various patterns and styles, and became an indispensable food in the court, such as "Hu Bing", "Robbie" and "Twisted Head". This kind of pasta is not only available in the palace, but also common among the people, but it is more exquisite in the palace. In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism was paid more attention, and the diet of Buddhism was also paid attention to by the court of the Tang Dynasty. Master Jian Zhen, a famous monk, must often eat palace pasta. When he travels to Japan, he will naturally bring Tang Dynasty pasta and change the diet structure in Japan.

Driven by many monks, Japanese pasta has taken on a new look. In the past, it was very rare to record pasta in Japan. Moreover, before the Tang Dynasty, Japan's diet was very backward. According to the Japanese Biography of the Three Kingdoms Shu Wei Dongyi, it is recorded that "the Japanese have no fertile land, eat seafood ... live in drinking water beans and eat them by hand". It can be seen from here that Japan was still eating sea creatures, using its hands instead of chopsticks and knives and forks. Until the Tang Dynasty completely changed the Japanese eating habits, pasta was just one of them.

Third, the development of Japanese food culture.

Japan has also made progress since learning the culture of the Tang Dynasty. The early food structure in Japan was rice, fish, fruits and vegetables, all of which were simple food structures. Without many techniques or habits such as cooking, sugar making, stir-frying and tea drinking in the Tang Dynasty, delicious food could not be made. This is also the time of the Tang Dynasty. In 646, Japan experienced an important turning point, and Japan also transitioned from a slave society to a feudal society and entered a stage of rapid development. The lack of all kinds of ingredients and sweets has always been the shortcoming of Japanese eating habits, and the Tang Dynasty completely made up for Japan's shortcomings in this regard.

From Buddhist pasta to people's favorite dishes, from coarse but exquisite food to food culture, we have witnessed the changes of Japanese food. Tofu is indispensable in Japanese food. It was in the Tang Dynasty that this kind of tofu was introduced to Japan. Because of the love of monks, tofu is also very popular among the people. At the same time, medicine was introduced into Japan, and medicine also promoted Japanese diet, mainly reflected in medicinal diet. There was no food such as medicated diet in early Japan. The arrival of traditional Chinese medicine has changed the Japanese view of medicinal materials.

When medicine was introduced, diet prescriptions also spread to Japan. In some medical books, the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine is recorded, such as jujube, almond, star anise, pepper and so on, which are all edible tonics or condiments. It can be seen that Chinese medicine can not only cure diseases, but also eat, which is incredible to the Japanese. In addition to traditional Chinese medicine, vegetables and sugar have also been introduced to Japan, enriching Japanese food. As for dessert, after the introduction of sugar technology into Japan, sweets and dessert foods appeared in Japan, giving people more choices.

Four: Japanese who regard tea as their life.

Japanese people like to drink tea, which is famous, and also derived from the tea ceremony culture. In the upper class of Japan, drinking tea is a must, which is similar to that in China. Tea, tea rhyme and tea ceremony were all introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the cultivation of tea in the Tang Dynasty was very mature and extensive. As a court tribute tea, it is famous for its preciousness. And Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty, his book Tea Classic, has a far-reaching influence, and the Japanese regard it as a necessary classic for drinking tea. In the culture of drinking tea, at first the Japanese regarded it as a symbol of nobility, and later it was widespread in the whole society.

Not to mention ancient times, even modern times, drinking tea is still very popular in Japan, especially in the upper class. With the in-depth development, tea customs, tea ceremonies and tea parties in the Tang Dynasty were introduced to Japan one after another, and Japan also inherited them. Therefore, Japanese tea culture can not be separated from the influence of the Tang Dynasty. With the development of history, the tea ceremony in Japan has also changed since the Tang Dynasty. The Japanese put forward the four realms of tea ceremony, which deeply influenced Japan. They are: harmony, respect, purity and silence. It is quiet, ethereal and elegant, and finally achieves spiritual comfort.

In Japanese tea ceremony, there have been many meetings, such as Kitano Tea Party held in Toyotomi Hideyoshi and now Tokyo Tea Party. These cultures are inseparable from the influence of the early Tang Dynasty on Japan. Drinking tea has also changed Japan's diet structure and promoted the development of Japanese diet culture. For China's tea, it is world-famous. Although Japanese tea culture and China tea culture parted ways, Japan imports tea from China every year. Not only Japanese, but also the whole world loves China's tea. Tea, silk and porcelain are the three major commodities in ancient China.

Five: Japanese persistent pursuit of utensils

When the diet structure changes, the Japanese also change their tableware, from simple to exquisite, which is the Japanese favorite. Because of the pursuit of food placement, there are special needs for some utensils. Various vessels of the Tang Dynasty also spread to Japan, which changed the use of these vessels in Japan. The exquisite porcelain amazed and loved the Japanese. Japanese diet pays attention to color, shape and meaning. Attention should be paid to the special use of utensils here. Among them, the crystal clear glassware makes the Japanese fondle admiringly, which can be used to match food and better show the significance of the environment.

Whether it is a food container or a tea set for drinking tea, the Japanese have been pursuing it. The use of exquisite utensils is also Japan's pursuit of food culture. As the ancients said, food is not as good as beauty. According to different needs, use different utensils to set off food more brightly. Royal ships are symbols of power and wealth, which also influenced Japan. After the tri-color technology of the Tang Dynasty was introduced to Japan, Japanese porcelain was developed and many ceramics were fired, which was far from China. But in terms of shape, Japanese vessels are more abundant, such as leaves, tiles, roses, squares, rectangles, prisms, octagons, boats and so on. There are both symmetry and asymmetry, which are the pursuit of Japan on ships.

From slave society to feudal society, the whole country of Japan has changed and needs to fill the backward situation. However, in the case that food is the most important thing for the people, Japan will also pursue food, from the humble diet in the early days to the comprehensive and affluent state now, which is the result of Japan's efforts to absorb the culture of the Tang Dynasty. Not only that, Japan also improved its food culture in the Tang Dynasty and made many foods different from those in the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the most open dynasty in ancient China, which had a far-reaching influence on neighboring countries and regions and other parts of the world.

Countries that came to study or trade in the Tang Dynasty admired and attracted the Tang Dynasty. Under the advanced culture of China, the Han cultural circle has also been formed. Japan, Korean Peninsula, Viet Nam, Ryukyu and other countries have absorbed China's advanced culture. Japan is the most successful and comprehensive country to absorb, from the high-level system to the food culture and religious beliefs of the Lebanese people. They all came from the culture of the Tang Dynasty, thanks to the envoys of the Tang Dynasty and the eastward crossing of Master Jian Zhen, who brought many cultures to Japan and indirectly promoted the success of Japanese social transformation.

It takes a long time for a country to change from a slave society to a feudal society. However, after Japan's modernization, it needed new culture to support its entry into feudal society. Japan has no advanced culture, so it can only absorb more advanced China culture, which is useful to Japan anyway. The absorption of food culture is only a part of China culture absorbed by Japan, which not only changes the food structure in Japan, but also promotes the development of Japanese food culture.