1. Egaku or Hui'E was a well-connected 9th century Japanese scholar-monk who made frequent trips to Tang China for pilgrimage and bringing back Buddhist teachings to Japan.
14 Facts About Egaku
1. 2.
Egaku had a huge impact on the religious and cultural history of China and Japan.
3.
Unlike his monastic contemporaries Saicho, Kukai and Ennin, Egaku did not leave any travel diaries.
4.
Egaku did not travel to Tang China as part of an official mission from Japan in contrast to some of his monastic contemporaries.
5.
In 841 CE, Egaku went to Tang China on a pilgrimage to Mount Wutai, the bodhimanda of Manjusri Bodhisattva.
6.
Egaku visited and made religious offerings at Mount Wutai and Linchi Monastery; the Empress Dowager personally made embroidered monastic robes and religious banners for this purpose.
7.
On this trip, Egaku witnessed and personally experienced the effect of Emperor Wuzong's Huichang persecution, which delayed his return to Japan.
8.
However, Egaku's copy was a complete early copy and had a significant influence on subsequent Japanese Sinitic poetry and native literature such as The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book.
9.
On possibly his last trip to Tang China, Egaku accompanied the ex-crown prince turned Buddhist monk Takaoka Shinno into Tang China.
10.
In 863 Egaku went again on a pilgrimage to Mount Wutai.
11.
Egaku wished to take this statue back to Japan and asked for the monks' permission.
12.
Egaku brought the statue to Ningbo's Kaiyuan Monastery on a palanquin, located the merchant Zhang Youxing's ship, and prepared to leave for Japan.
13.
Egaku succeeded in bringing the statue aboard the ship only with the combined efforts of numerous merchants from Silla.
14.
Egaku brought this column back to Japan either in 841 or 842 CE.