24.6 The far east: a.d. 901 to 1000  (Page 2/2)

Japan

Under Daigo, greatest of the emperors set up by the Fujiwara clan, Japan continued to absorb and began to rival the culture and luxury of China. The period 901 to 922 is called the "Engi period" and was the acme of the Golden Age. Wealth accumulated and gave rise to great luxuriousness in dress, cuisine, manners, arts and tastes. Literature flourished as the syllabary simplification of Chinese characters allowed extensive writing in the Japanese language. In 905 the Kokinshu, an anthology of over 1,000 poems in Japanese, was completed by imperial order and within a century Japanese prose was to rise to great heights. The imperial family's Shintoism fell into disuse.

The curtain that the Fujiwaras put around the throne was not meant to stifle its occupant but only to shield it. When an emperor showed talent and interest he did not exercise power while remaining emperor, but would abdicate in favor of one of his children, go to a monastery, set up his own court and administration and there he would run the Fujiwaras, who ran Japan. It is Bergamini's (Ref. 12 ) concept that throughout history, even including the time of World War II and Pearl Harbor, that the imperial family always ran Japan, although they exerted their domination through the powerful families of the court, such as the Fujiwaras

Korea

In A.D. 918 the Koryo Dynasty began in west central Korea and was to rule for almost 500 years. By 935 it had peacefully absorbed the Silla area, uniting the country. Late in the century the Liao of Manchuria began to threaten the Koreans, just as they had the Chinese, and this was only the first of many invasions that occurred in the next several centuries. In this adversity the Koreans turned to Buddhism and built many temples. The ceramics of this period are perhaps the finest expression of Korean art. Chinese acupuncture had spread to Korea by the end of this century. (Ref. 173 , 45 , 125 )

Southeast asia

After 15000 years the Vietnamese rebelled against the Chinese Sungs in the Red River Delta and gained independence as Dai Viet, or Annam, which is presently North Vietnam. Although traditionally hostile to the Chinese, these people absorbed much of the Chinese character, copied Chinese industrial and agricultural techniques and followed the Confucian political ethic. In Thailand, the Dvaravati continued in power and the great

Khmer Empire carried on in Cambodia with Yasovarman I proceeding with the fabulous construction projects, including a reservoir some five square miles in size and a stone pyramid to honor himself. (Ref. 8 , 176 )

In Java there was a shift of the cultural center to the eastern part of the island and this situation was to continue for the next five centuries. The great Buddhist temple of Borobudur in the center of Java, however, continued to inspire its followers. (Ref. 286 ) There was no significant change in Sumatra from the last century.

Southeast Asia's medical systems were a mixture of Chinese, Indian and Arabic disciplines. The Arabic influence, coming in part from the Greeks, showed up in the four humors (phlegm, blood, bile and wind) whereas Indian concepts were seen in the placement of the soul in the spinal column and instruction in methods of breathing. (Ref. 19 , 125 )

Forward to The Far East: A.D. 1001 to 1100

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