▲ Emperor Tuiko stills from the 2001 Japanese NHK TV series "Prince Shengde"
This fragrant thing has to start from nearly 1500 years ago.
Japan's first female emperor, Emperor Tuigu, sent Ono to make a pilgrimage to the sui kingdom at that time, first, to gain recognition from the Sui Emperor to ensure the legitimacy of his beloved nephew Prince Shengde to inherit the throne in the future; second, to obtain the military support of the Great Sui to ensure Japanese control over Korea. This Sui made ono sister stumble to complete the task, why say stumble, there were indeed some small episodes, almost did not provoke the grumpy Sui Emperor sent troops to attack Japan. But in any case, the Sui Emperor had opened his eyes to the Ono girls who had come from afar.
According to legend, the incense in the palaces of the Sui Dynasty at that time was day and night, and the inside and outside of the palace walls were filled with the aroma of agarwood burning from southeast Asia.
Portrait of Yang Guang, Emperor of the Sui Dynasty, from the "Diagram of the Emperors of the Past Dynasties" Is said to have been painted by Yan Liben of the Tang Dynasty The surviving facsimile is now in the Boston Museum in the United States
One of them was brought back to Japan, also known as "yellow ripe incense", and was treasured as a royal object of the emperor. Such a large piece of agarwood may not be much in the Sui Dynasty Emperor, just a daily necessity at home, just a small match with incense, but who knows, the fate of this "small match" has actually affected Japan's national fortune for thousands of years and become a national treasure of Japan.
▲Nara Kodaiji Main Hall, Japan
▲Shokura-in Temple, Todaiji Temple, Nara, Japan
This agarwood was not always spent in the Heavenly Imperial Palace, and later in the eighth year of Tianping Shengbao (756), the Empress Dowager Guangming enshrined it in dongdaji Temple. Since then, successive emperors and generals have cut down a point and given it as a reward to the courtiers who have made great achievements, and will also leave a sign at the incision, indicating the time and the name of the person who has been ordained. And this agarwood is also called "Lan Luxury" from that time, Lan represents the East, luxury is big, to refer to the temple, Lan Luxury is implied to be the meaning of Dongda Temple, metaphorically Dongda Temple is famous for this holy incense.
Huang Shu xiang "Lan Luxury" Collection of Shosoin Temple, Japan
Todaiji's Shoso-in Temple is now the treasure house of Japan, and there is still this piece of orchid luxury, after a thousand years, its original size we do not know, but the Japanese strict style we can see, if it is true as mentioned earlier, each time to take it to record and sign, then its original form should not be much different from today. Because what we see today is more than 4 feet, 26 pounds, the overall appearance of an awl type, the preservation state is excellent, it can be seen that it is valued, worthy of national treasure. The most interesting sign on it is "Oda Nobunaga's place of worship."
This Oda Nobunaga, who is known as the "Great Demon King" of Japan's Sengoku period, is indeed different from ordinary people, do you know that "Lan Luxury" can be cut by anyone? Only the Emperor and the Shogun hold this privilege, so we can also see the "Place where Ashikaga Yoshimasa worships" on the right side of the note left by Oda Nobunaga, Ashikaga Yoshimasa is the eighth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and the old shogun could never have imagined that his family power would eventually be ruined by a boy of unknown origin, and it was impossible to foresee that his name would appear with him in the body of "Rana".
The signs are from the left: "Oda Nobunaga's Place of Worship" and "Ashikaga Yoshimasa's Place of Worship".
Signature: Meiji 10th year Yi Ji (同敕) cut it
History is so playful, if we compare "Lan Luxury" to the sniffle of Japan's national fortune, Oda Nobunaga, under the watchful eye of the monks, impressively cut an inch of incense pieces that were eight points square, and told the world that he took this sniffle, an era came to an end, and a new era began, it was not broken, it will not be broken, in a sense, the Sui Emperor's "small match" is not only a luxury, it has become a fragrant rafter that the whole world admires.