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In 833, Emperor Nimmyo named Tsunetsugu the Imperial ambassador to China. He was the last envoy from Japan to China during the Heian period.<br/><br/> The diplomatic mission left Kyushu in 838; Tsunetsugu returned to Japan in 839. The mission party included the Buddhist monk Ennin.
Wake no Kiyomaro was born in Bizen Province (now Wake, Okayama) to a family of politically important, devoted Buddhists who hoped to keep Buddhism and politics separate through religious reform.<br/><br/> He became a trusted advisor to Emperor Kammu, a position which he used to encourage the development of Buddhism in a direction which would prevent it from posing a threat to the government.
In 717-718, Kibi was part of the Japanese mission to Tang China (Kentoshi) along with Abe no Nakamaro and Genbo.<br/><br/> Kibi stayed in China for 17 years before returning to Japan. He is credited with bringing back a number of things, introducing the game of Go to Japan for the first time, as well as the art of embroidery.
In 833, Emperor Ninmyo named Tsunetsugu the Imperial ambassador to China. He was the last envoy from Japan to China during the Heian period.<br/><br/> The diplomatic mission left Kyushu in 838; Tsunetsugu returned to Japan in 839. The mission party included the Buddhist monk Ennin as well as Ono no Takamura.
Fujiwara no Umakai was a diplomat during the reign of Empress Genshoand and a minister during the reign of Emperor Shomu. In the Imperial court, Umakai was the chief of protocol (Shikibu-kyo).<br/><br/> In 716, together with Tajihi no Agatamori, Abe no Yasumaro and Otomo no Yamamori, Umakai participated in a Japanese diplomatic mission to Tang China in 717-718. Kibi no Makibi and the Buddhist monk Genbo were also part of the entourage.
Sugawara no Michizane (August 1, 845 – March 26, 903), also known as Kan Shojo or Kanke, was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an accomplished poet, particularly in Chinese poetry, and is today revered as the god of learning, Tenman-Tenjin, often shortened to Tenjin.<br/><br/> He was appointed ambassador to China in the 890s, but instead came out in support of abolition of the imperial embassies to China in 894, because of the decline of the Tang Dynasty.
In 750, Kiyokawa was appointed envoy to Tang China, with Otomo no Komaro and Kibi no Makibi as vice-envoys. Before his departure, the Emperor gave him a symbolic sword as a sign of his command.<br/><br/> Upon arriving in Tang China, the envoy entered Chang'an and had an audience with Emperor Xuanzong. Because of the exigencies of the time, he remained in China until his death in 778.
Mahito took part in the planning of the Taiho Code alongside Prince Osakabe and Fujiwara no Fuhito, and in 701 was promoted to head of the Ministry of Popular Affairs. Mahito was also appointed as chief diplomat on a mission to Tang China, receiving a ceremonial sword from Emperor Tenmu as a symbol of his command.<br/><br/> In 704, the mission returned to Japan, along with some Japanese who had been captives since the Battle of Baekgang in 663. Mahito was rewarded with land in Yamato Province.
In 757 Yakatsugu was appointed governor of Sagami province, in 759 the governor of Mikawa province, and in 761 the governor of Kazusa province.<br/><br/> In 761 he was also appointed vice-envoy to Tang dynasty China, but in the next year was replaced by Fujiwara no Tamaro without making the journey.
Onakatomi no Kiyomaro (702 – September 6, 788) was a Japanese noble of the Nara period. Born the seventh son of the chunagon Nakatomi no Omimaro of the Nakatomi clan, he changed his name and founded the Onakatomi clan. He reached the court rank of <i>sho ni-i</i> and the position of <i>udaijin</i> or Minister of the Right.
Kikuchi Yōsai (菊池 容斎, November 28, 1781 - June 16, 1878), also known as Kikuchi Takeyasu and Kawahara Ryōhei was a Japanese painter most famous for his monochrome portraits of historical figures.
Ono no Komachi was a Japanese <i>waka</i> poet, one of the Rokkasen—the Six best Waka poets of the early Heian period. She was renowned for her unusual beauty, and Komachi is today a synonym for feminine beauty in Japan.
Takenouchi no Sukune (武内宿禰) or Takeshiuchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman, and is a Shinto kami.<br/><br/> Takenouchi no Sukune was supposedly the son of Princess Kagehime, and is said to be grandson to Imperial Prince Hikofutódhimakoto no Mikoto. Also descended from Emperor Kōgen, Takenouchi no Sukune served under five legendary emperors, Emperor Keikō, Emperor Seimu, Emperor Chūai, Emperor Ōjin, and Emperor Nintoku, but was perhaps best known for his service as Grand Minister to the Regent Jingu, with whom he supposedly invaded Korea. While Jingu was regent to her son, Ojin, Takenouchi was accused of treason.<br/><br/> In addition to his martial services to these emperors, he was reputedly also a <i>saniwa</i>, or spirit medium.<br/><br/> Twenty-eight Japanese clans are said to be descended from Takenouchi no Sukune, including Takeuchi and Soga. He is a legendary figure, and is said to have drunk daily from a sacred well, and this helped him to live to be 280 years old. Further, he is enshrined as a Kami at the Ube shrine, in the Iwami district of the Tottori Prefecture and at local Hachiman shrines. His portrait has also appeared on the Japanese yen, and dolls of him are popular Children’s Day gifts.
Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部, English: Lady Murasaki) (c. 973 – c. 1014 or 1025) was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012. Murasaki Shikibu is a nickname; her real name is unknown, but she may have been Fujiwara Takako, who was mentioned in a 1007 court diary as an imperial lady-in-waiting.<br/><br/> She was raised in her father's household where she learned Chinese, the written language of government, from which women were traditionally excluded. She married in her mid to late twenties and gave birth to a daughter before her husband died, two years after they were married. It is uncertain when she began to write The Tale of Genji, but it was probably while she was married or shortly after she was widowed. In about 1005, Murasaki was invited to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Shōshi at the Imperial court, probably because of her reputation as a writer. She continued to write during her service, adding scenes from court life to her work. After five or six years, she left court and retired with Shōshi to the Lake Biwa region. Scholars differ on the year of her death; although most agree on 1014, others have suggested she was alive in 1025.<br/><br/> Murasaki wrote The Diary of Lady Murasaki, a volume of poetry, and The Tale of Genji. Within a decade of its completion, Genji was distributed throughout the provinces; within a century it was recognized as a classic of Japanese literature and had become a subject of scholarly criticism. Early in the 20th century her work was translated; a six-volume English translation was completed in 1933. Scholars continue to recognize the importance of her work, which reflects Heian court society at its peak. Since the 13th century her works have been illustrated by Japanese artists and well-known ukiyo-e woodblock masters.
The Mongol invasions of Japan of 1274 and 1281 were major military invasions undertaken by Kublai Khan to conquer the Japanese islands after the submission of Korea. Despite their ultimate failure, the invasion attempts are of historical importance, because they set a limit on Mongol expansion, and rank as nation-defining events in Japanese history. The Japanese were successful, in part because the Mongols lost up to 75% of their troops and supplies as a result of major storms at sea. These were named 'kamikaze' or divine winds by the Japanese.