Title: On the Dissemination and Influence of Zetian Characters in Japan

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to study the spread process and reasons of Zetian characters in Japan. It is believed that Japanese characters are mainly spread through official channels in Japan, and attention should be paid to the political factors behind cultural communication. Except for the word “圀”, the use of Zetian characters in existing official documents and materials is concentrated between the seventh envoy to the Tang Dynasty (702) and the eighth envoy to the Tang Dynasty (717). After that, few official materials were used to use Zetian characters, while people in Nara and Heian periods used Zetian characters more frequently. The use of Zetian characters by Japanese people played down its political meaning and highlighted its beautiful moral side.

Keywords: Zetian characters, Kentoshi, China Japan exchange, cultural dissemination

Author: Yang Liu, Lecturer, School of Foreign Languages, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2024.01.004