Cathay, Wa and other places

[Noriko]

Inspired by Nagamochi's thread "Robes from Far Cathay", I've been wondering. Cathay, I think, is an old fashioned term for China, but it's English. So, does anyone know what Japan during the Heian period called China, Korea and other places? What did the Japanese call Japan during the Heian?
Any one know? I'm just curious.
Thanks.

[Saionji Shonagon]

Cathay, I think, is an old fashioned term for China, but it's English. So, does anyone know what Japan during the Heian period called China, Korea and other places? What did the Japanese call Japan during the Heian?

Hey, I read this stuff in translation too. Perhaps Effingham knows. Though I seem to recall that there's a reference in Marco Polo to a place called "Cipango" (Japan), which doesn't answer your question, but is fun, interesting trivia.

S.

[Matsuyama Yoshitoshi]

By the late Heian, official relations with China and Korea had been in abeyance c. 870s. Japan therefore had little direct contact with the Asian Mainland. The occasional priest and merchant did make the journey, but official travel was forbidden. Thus, at least as far as the Heian courtier was concerned, there was little interest in other places outside the immediate vicinity of Heian-kyo.

Korea was, of course, several Kingdoms: Paikche, Silla, and Koryo; India was known as Tenjiku.

As for China, I do know that the prefix "kara" (Chinese) attached to any item was a sign of elegance/value in late Heian Japan.

[Nagamochi]

That sounds odd. I could swear it was still in high fashion during the Heian era to receive one's formal education in China. I'm sure I can sight at least one instance in Genji Monogatari.

[Saionji Shonagon]

nagamochi said:

That sounds odd. I could swear it was still in high fashion during the Heian era to receive one's formal education in China. I'm sure I can sight at least one instance in Genji Monogatari.

I think you're misunderstanding it - it was fashionable (for men) to study Chinese - after all, that was what they were writing in. It doesn't necessarily follow that they were studying it in China. Murasaki Shikibu picked up some skills in Chinese while studying alongside her brother, which was considered highly improper for a woman.

"The Clear Mirror," a chronicle of the Kamakura period written in the latter half of the 14th century, mentions an emperor (or ex-emperor?) declaring that there will be a Chinese poetry contest on a certain occasion, the implication being that only men will compete and the level of difficulty of composition requires advance preparation.

Saionji

[solveig]

Noble Cousins!

Greetings from Solveig! Yes, India was called "tenjiku". China was called something or other rather different than it is today. Alas, I can not recall what it was. For some reason, this "tenjiku" business just stuck with me a lot better. Korea is of course "Chousen Hantou" at least recently. This is a geographic designation as opposed to the political "Kankoku". "kara" is the kun'yomi reading for "TOU". This corresponds to a particular dynasty and to a particular language. Some kanji have TOU readings while others have other "Chinese" readings. Some have several different "Chinese" readings corresponding to different dynasties with their corresponding languages.

The Japanese can be a bit more sophisticated about these things than already suggested here. If you look at the beginning of Heike Monogatari in Japanese you will find various places listed as examples of the impermanence of success in the world. In particular, examples are given from several different dynasties Kan (Han), Tou (T'ang), &c. without much of a specific reference to a generic "China".