I had a glimpse of the envoy to Tang in previous articles, but that wasn't enough, so I wrote an additional article.
In the Heian period, it is almost time to return the envoy to Tang in 894, so I would like to write a story about the envoy to Tang in the meantime.
" Situation of neighboring countries " when dispatching envoys to Tang
■ Tang ・ ・ ・ Tang changed to Sui in 618 ⇒ Affects Asian countries
[First Tang (618-712)]
Tang is caused by the high ancestor. A group of males who were raised in the late Sui dynasty remained, but they were placed under control, and in the second generation, the Mongolian plateau was also under control. In the third generation, the Goguryeo troops, which caused the weakening of the Sui dynasty, succeeded. Although the ground will surely be solidified, the government will be seized by a coup d'etat inside 690, and Zhou and the national name will be changed.
[Sheng Tang (712-765)]
Zhou was destroyed in one generation, so he went to Tang again. The rule extended to Central Asia, but in 751 he lost the battle over the Abbasid dynasty of the Islamic empire and control, and greatly reduced the power in Central Asia.
* Battle of Talas. A battle over control of Central Asia with the Islamic empire that fought around the current Kiribati River Talas.
From 755 to 763, the emperor Xuanzong's beloved foreigner Yang Guifei and the politician from the Tang dynasty and An Lushan, who was beloved by the emperor and Yang Guifei, confronted each other. Developed into a large-scale rebellion and An Lushan Rebellion ⇒ In a situation where the national prestige of Tang is greatly impaired.
[Chinese Tang (766-826 (835))]
It has begun to become difficult to secure power in the western regions other than Central Asia, and the eunuch official's dedication becomes a problem inside the Tang dynasty.
[Late Tang (827 (836) -907)]
Tang as a national government was destroyed in the Huang Chao turbulence from 875 to 884, but it will exist as a local government after that. At this point, the era of group male division began, and we entered the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era.
Status of dispatch of envoys to Tang
All colors are easy to understand! From Japanese History P51
* 663 ... Battle of Baekgang 672 ... Jinshin War
■ Balhae ・ ・ ・ Founded in 698, destroyed in 926
Next is North Korea, a country created around northeastern China, Balhae is.
Initially, a delegation will be dispatched due to the rivalry between Tang and Silla, but later, when reconciliation with Tang is planned (from the latter half of Sheng Tang to around Central Tang), the exchange will be the main cultural and economic exchange. We had the most exchanges among the three neighboring countries.
It seems that the Japanese side took the form of tribute trade with this delegation from Bohai, and the domestic situation that it became gradually difficult to collect the tax of the imperial court became a hindrance, and the delegation came to Korea for 12 years. It is now possible to limit it once.
Tribute trade has the character of being obliged to respond with multiple gifts in return after receiving the tribute.
■ Silla ・ ・ ・ Silla unifies the Korean Peninsula in 676
From 670 to 676, a dispute arose between Silla and Tang, and in 676 he succeeded in expelling the Tang government in Silla. At the beginning of the unification, it seems that they were relatively close to each other by trying to compete with Tang with Japan.
It seems that Tang was also fighting with the Tibetan Empire in the west around this time (670-690s), and in 677, the Tibetan Empire (currently the kingdom in Tibet) and the Western Turkic Khagan (Turkish nomadic people, Tang). It is located in the north of the Tang Dynasty. It is in a situation where a part of it (once under the control of the Tang Dynasty) is united, so it can be said that it has a good gap.
With the founding of Balhae in 698, Silla's relationship with Tang was restored. At the same time, it is said that the relationship between Japan and Silla deteriorated because the Bohai side sent a messenger to Japan and Japan tried to treat Silla as a subordinate country even after the relationship with Tang was restored.
■ Baekje ・ ・ ・ Extinct in 660
■ Goguryeo ・ ・ ・ Extinct in 668
You can see that the frequency and routes change depending on the political situation in Tang and neighboring countries.
Until 660, I had a close friendship with Baekje, so I could go on a relatively safe north road. After that, due to the confrontation between Tang and Silla, the Silla side accepted favorable conditions for Japan, so I was able to go to Tang on the north road. Above all, it is highly possible that the envoys to Tang in 665 and 669 went to deal with the defeat of the Battle of Baekgang, and the fact that they had to go to Silla is also the reason why they went on North Road.
As I wrote in the section on Silla, the subsequent change from the North Road to another route was between Silla, who sought a relationship between equal nations due to the Tang dynasty behind it, and Japan, which sought the same response as before. Conflict became remarkable and it became difficult to go to Tang on the north road.
In addition to the gradual decline of Tang's national power, Japan's financial burden has increased and it is less necessary to obtain excellent domestic figures from Tang to the point of danger. It seems that this is the reason why the Japanese envoy to Tang was abolished.