Author: Liu, Yan

Annotation: This paper argues that the "seven-day week" system was transmitted from India to China and then to Japan through Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty. It was recognized only in certain regions and among certain groups in China, but received official endorsement and was widely promoted in Japan. This difference reflects the Chinese feudal dynasties' understanding of the relationship between calendars and dynastic rule, the impact of events such as the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution of the Huichang Era, and the top-down model of accepting foreign culture in ancient Japan.

Keywords: seven-day week; Manichaeism; Buddhism; Sino-Japanese culture

Pages in journal: 105 - 105