Record of a Pilgrimage to Tang China in Search of the Dharma (入唐求法巡禮行記)

About 入唐求法巡禮行記

by 圓仁著

84,137 · about 280 min

The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law is a travel diary written by Ennin, a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk. From 838 to 847 CE, Ennin traveled to Tang China with a Japanese diplomatic mission to study Buddhism, personally experiencing the Huichang Persecution of Buddhism under Emperor Wuzong. Written in Classical Chinese, the book provides a detailed account of his nearly decade-long journey, offering invaluable observations on Tang society, economy, religion, geography, and cultural exchanges between China and Japan. As a primary source for the study of Tang Buddhist history, social history, and Sino-Japanese relations, it stands alongside Xuanzang's Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and Marco Polo's Travels as a world-class historical document. It holds irreplaceable authoritative value for understanding the state of Buddhism in the late Tang dynasty.