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Summary

The introduction begins with Ennin, the eminent Japanese monk who traveled to China in 838 with the last Japanese embassy to the Tang court. Then sojourning for nine years in China, Ennin witnessed that more-private forms of shipping and trade had already begun to displace the tribute system. Tracing Ennin’s experience in China, this chapter introduces three main themes of the book: Buddhist material culture and the monastic economy, trade via religious networks, and the relationship among monks, merchants, and the secular authorities. This chapter also explains the nontraditional sources that this book uses and the new readings of monastic records that it offers.

Between 839 and 1403 CE, there was a six-century lapse in diplomatic relations between present-day China and Japan. This hiatus in what is known as the tribute system has led to an assumption that there was little contact between the two countries in this period. Yiwen Li debunks this assumption, arguing instead that a vibrant Sino-Japanese trade network flourished in this period as Buddhist monks and merchants fostered connections across maritime East Asia. Based on a close examination of sources in multiple languages, including poems and letters, transmitted images and objects, and archaeological discoveries, Li presents a vivid and dynamic picture of the East Asian maritime world. She shows how this Buddhist trade network operated outside of the framework of the tribute system and, through novel interpretations of Buddhist records, provides a new understanding of the relationship between Buddhism and commerce.

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1 - Introduction

Summary

Networks of Faith and Profit

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2 results

1 - Introduction

Summary

Networks of Faith and Profit