What did Jian Zhen bring to Japan for later generations to criticize?

1266 years ago, Jian Zhen and others finally successfully crossed to Japan for the sixth time. He not only brought Buddhist scriptures to Japan, but also brought medicine, calligraphy and daily necessities from China. It is said that the most famous one is Wang Xizhi's running script "Mourning Post", which is regarded as the treasure of the town palace by the Japanese Palace Hall.

First of all, it should be clear that Jian Zhen's eastward crossing promoted the spread of Japanese culture. Especially in Buddhist precepts, Chinese medicine and calligraphy art, Jian Zhen has a deep influence on Japanese. The introduction of funeral notes into Japan is actually a part of cultural exchange and cannot be described as criticism.

Jian Zhen, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, was born in Jiangyang, Guangling (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in 688. He is a descendant of the Nanshan method, that is, a monk who specializes in practicing commandments. He is also the ancestor of the Nanshan method in Japan.

In 742 AD, at the invitation of Japanese monks Rong Rui and Pu Zhao, Jian Zhen resolutely agreed to the invitation of the two monks despite the dissuasion of his disciples. Due to the restrictions of the Tang Dynasty on private sailing and the bad weather at sea, Jian Zhen failed four times. When he drifted to Hainan Island for the fifth time, Rong Rui died and Jian Zhen was blind.

Wang Xizhi's original cursive script Mourning Post is a treasure in calligraphy. This post was indeed introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty. Some experts confirmed that it was brought by Jian Zhen when he traveled to Japan, and it has been hidden in the Japanese palace for thousands of years. "Mourning Post" is a letter from Wang Xizhi to a friend, which is written naturally.

Experts' research shows that the calligraphy style of this post is closer to the original appearance of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, so Mourning Post is also an important material to study Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style. Judging from the half seal posted on the funeral, it should be a long scroll, which was later cut off and now only the rest can be seen.

These original calligraphy works brought by Jian Zhen promoted the vigorous development of Japanese calligraphy, and finally made Japanese calligraphy embark on a unique road. From a modern point of view, it is indeed a pity that Wang Xizhi's original cursive script spread to Japan. But in the Tang Dynasty, it was a real cultural exchange.

In 763, Jian Zhen, a Japanese master who stayed in Japan for ten years, died in Zhao Ti Temple in the Tang Dynasty at the age of 76. When the news of the master's death came back to Yangzhou, all the monks in Yangzhou mourned for Jian Zhen for three days. 0/200 years after Jian Zhen's death, Buddhist circles in China and held commemorative activities, and Jian Zhen's achievements were praised by Japan as the representative of Tian Ping culture.