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『伝説から歴史へ』〜中文〜        『伝説から歴史へ』〜和文〜

From a Legend to a History
-- A new approach to XU Fu Study--

Sadayoshi Torii, President
 The XU Fu Study & Friendship Association, Osaka, Japan

Preface 〜 a recommendation of enthusiasm for cultural interests

   I had been devoting myself to business activities with China while I was a company employee.  After retirement, however, I have been immersed in a cultural exchange with China, through such activities as a study of XU Fu and Qixi,legends regarding the Star Festival together with honoring Dr. Ryuzo Torii, a prominent historian /archeologist deeply related to China.

   The theme of my study of XU Fu is a scientific approach to his legend, and I put ‘a new approach to XU Fu Study’ as its sub-title.  At the international seminars on XU Fu, in 2002 in Japan and in 2006 in China, I made a proposal that we should compare the weights and measures of China with those of Japan. This time I want to propose to compare such things as Lian crossbows, Balian coins, and bamboo strips.

   My dear teacher said that nothing is so important as continuing, so I decided to make a proposal again according to his advice.



Proposal 1
 To investigate the traces of XU Fu's eastward sailing scientifically.


   I think it is so important to gather efforts of such experts as medical science
(Judgment of DNA), architecture (measurements), and others,  to say nothing of archeology.  As for myself, I exchanged my opinions with Prof. Nagajiro Miyamoto, a professor of Tohoku University of Art and Design (TUAD) well-known for his scientific study of the gigantic main building of the Izumo Shrine.  I also discussed with Prof. Gao Chuwen, an archeologist and professor at Peking University.  A young fellow of the Osaka Yayoi Cultural Museum was also a person with whom I talked on the weights and measuring system and ancient coins.  I expect it is hard and takes a lot of years to find out evidence of XU Fu's eastward sailing, so it is very important that we seek as many cooperators as possible and trust further study to our next generation.
   In 2000, at the international seminar of XU Fu Eastward sailing in China,
I proposed to make a joint study of weights and measures by examining “ Hottate Bashira(Primitive, multistory building)” seen in Japan.  To my proposal Mr. Liu Zhen Qi, a well-known scholar of XU Fu study, responded with an interesting answer.  He agreed to my proposal that we make an investigation of XU Fu's eastward sailing by throwing a light on software like weights and measures. And this time I proposed to make use of such physical evidence as Lian crossbows, Banlian coins, and bamboo strips.


1)    Single crossbows and Dual(Lian)crossbows

   According to the Records of the Historian, XU Fu asked Shi Huang, the first Emperor, for Dual(Lian)crossbows on his second sailing in order to avoid the assault of the marine monster.  XU Fu was given the weapons by the Great Emperor and put them on the ships.

   What was a dual(lian)crossbow like?  I wonder if we can find them or something like that among the many famous Terracotta Army warrior s' belongings at the Museum.  Probably he deceived the Great Emperor by mentioning ‘marine monsters’ only to gather the weapons. Were they sharks or Whales?  I think that XU Fu arrived safely at some port of Japan without using the weapons at all.

   I found an article on a page of Wikipedia that a lot of dual(lian)crossbows
were discovered at the Terracotta Army Museum, but what I saw in the Terracotta Army Museum was only a piece of picture of the crossbow half buried in the soil. 
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1 Chinese characters to show Lian crossbow on a page of the Records of the Historian
2 Display of crossbows(half buried in the soil) at the Terracotta Army Museum
3 Illustrated pictures of archers in Terracotta Army Museum

   It may be quite difficult to find out a genuine dual(lian)crossbows, but if a part of it could be discovered in Japan, it must be possible to know if there is something in common in the weapons made in China and in Japan by comparing their materials.

   Do the dual(lian)crossbows exist? I wonder if we can find a dual(lian)crossbows at the Terracotta Army Museum which could be considered to be similar to those Xu Fu brought to Japan?  I'm looking forward to any information from China to explain their shapes and materials.

   Dr. Ryuzo Torii, a world famous archeologist, describes the ancient crossbows of Japan featuring their kinds and shooting methods by inserting one chapter in his book titled “Japan in Prehistoric Ages,” published in 1918. According to him, there are two kinds of bows, and the prominent archaeologist quotes from Dr Morse’s thesis “Ancient and Modern Methods of Arrow Release, “which explains five different ways of shooting with a bow.  He points out that the Japanese bow shooting could be categorized in the Mongolian method.

   It may be necessary to further investigate the contents of the book by Dr. Ryuzo Torii, but it is worthwhile for us to pay attention to the fact that he spent a chapter to describe the crossbows in his study of ancient history of Japan.


2) Banlian coins

   Let me introduce the fact that in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, Japan,  several ancient coins of China were dug out.  They are believed to belong to the age of the Qin Dynasty.  Isn't it an important clue to our study of XU Fu?  It is said that seven or eight Chinese coins were discovered at that time but the Kumano City Historical Museum keeps only one, to our regret.  The rest of them must be kept by some other citizens, so we have to make efforts to find them out by all means.

   How about carry out a big campaign to discover the missing coins?  We could honor every citizen who find out or donated them by introducing their names in the city's historical museum.  Now is the time to try discovering these important treasures, because the XU Fu fever is going to start.

   We have to make a scientific analysis of these coins and at the same time to compare the coins with the genuine ones dug out and kept in China as artifacts of Qin Dynasty.

According to the booklet “A Report of our Visiting XU Fu legend's birthplace” published by the Kumano City, a Chinese scholar / archeologist assessed the Japanese coin to be as old as the Chinese Banlian coins of Qin Dynasty in 1997 and 2002, though neither the name of the person who made an assessment nor the results were made public.

  If we could retrieve all the eight coins we might offer at least one of them for further scientific analysis. The Shanghai Museum displays several Banlian coins and their mold. I have also proposed to have a joint research with the staff of the museum.
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1 Materials published by the Kumano City Museum.
2 Hatatsu Mie Prefecture, a place where XU Fu is believed to have landed


3) Bamboo Strips

   During the Qin Dynasty Chinese characters were written on the bamboo strips.  Therefore, I believe that XU Fu's report was also written on bamboo strips.  A lot of important records and information were lost in the notorious burning of books by the First Emperor, but some historians say XU Fu must have taken a lot of bamboo strips before the Emperor's order was given and that some of the important materials must be preserved in Japan.  They really expect them to be discovered in Japan.  Then we have to analyze the bamboo strips with a scientific method and compare the materials used in each bamboo strips.  Here again international cooperation is indispensable for our study.

  To collect physical evidence as a clue to investigate XU Fu's eastward sailing, I proposed that we jointly try to discover and examine those things like crossbows, Banlian coins and bamboo strips following measurement systems. Beside such evidence,  however, there might be such topics as many whaling, metallurgy, rice growing, architectural skills and other technology believed to have been brought by XU Fu and his group of experts. For example, how was the whaling technique of the Qin Dynasty? How did it influence the whaling practiced by the fishermen of Taiji Town, Wakayama Prefecture?
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1  XU Fu presents something precious to the Great Emperor
2  XU Fu holds a bamboo strips document
3  A piece of collection, bamboo strips book, kept at UC Riverside, USA.


Proposal 2

  I have already proposed that we should have as many people as possible for our XU Fu study. Besides this, publicity is also a very important task for both of us to share.


1) To establish a Sheiang Museum of Terracotta Army featuring XU Fu

   I have visited the Terracotta Army Museum three times in the past twenty years. Every time I went there, I was impressed by the improvement of its display and content. However, I couldn't help feeling that it had too little information about XU Fu, though he has such a deep relations with the First Emperor. Therefore, I'd like China to make every effort to establish an annex featuring XU Fu next to the present museum.

   It is said that every year tens of thousands of Japanese people visit there. I have no idea how much XU Fu is known to the Chinese people.  To my great regret, he is little known in Japan.  If an annex featuring XU Fu is built by the museum, it will help to make many Japanese people become interested in XU Fu and his achievements.
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1  Author in front of the Terracotta Army Museum
2  Archives hall of the Terracotta Army Museum


2) To place XU Fu's eastward sailing in the history textbooks of Japan

 XU Fu's eastward sailing was clearly written in The Records of the Historian as a historical fact, and I am sure that he really came to Japan, judging from so many legends in Japan telling XU Fu's arrival at Japanese ports.  I think we should put the historical fact in the textbooks and trust our younger generation to further study XU Fu and his achievement in Japan.

  It is a task for us to carry out in our country, so I've been appealing it whenever I had a chance to do so. To my pleasure, I was told by Mr. Souji Masuda, president of the XU Fu study association of Nara Prefecture, that the task to be started.


3) To set up a website of East Asia XU Fu study groups

   As we have more and more groups to study XU Fu in China, Korea and Japan, I think it is necessary to set up a homepage featuring XU Fu study.  Then every person interested in XU Fu could make an access to that page at any time, which will enable us to exchange our information and opinions freely.

  As for myself, I have already set up a Bulletin Board System on my own homepage of XU Fu Friendship Association so that everybody can write in it his / her ideas.
It was made use of at the XU Fu Symposium in Kanagawa in the end of 2007, sponsored by the Kanagawa XU Fu Society.


Epilogue

1005   In 2005 I published a book titled " Jyofuku-san "
(left side photo) assisted by a lot of XU Fu researcher.  It includes not only articles about the XU Fu legends handed down in Japan, China, and Korea, but also special contributions by researchers of XU Fu.  For more information in detail, please refer to the homepage
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~nestbook/
   I'd like to recommend this book of mine to young researchers of XU Fu, because they could make use of the first step to go on to further study of XU Fu and his achievement.
I'm thinking of it published in Chinese in the near future.  It also has pages to introduce a XU Fu legend in English with cooperation of Prof. Masahiro Nishiyama, Saga Women's Junior College.  It is my desire that XU Fu study will spread not only in East Asian countries but also in Europe and USA.


   What I proposed in this thesis is part of the tasks in order to develop XU Fu study, and I strongly emphasize that we need cooperation of China, Korea, and Japan so as to solve these tasks.

 I'd like to express my gratitude to Prof. Masahiro Nishiyama and Mrs. Monica Song for their cooperation in translating this thesis into English.






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