Foreign Influences

From the earliest times, neighbouring China and Korea have exerted great influence over Japan. From ad630 to ad894 more than ten trade missions as well as 500–600 students were sent to the T’ang dynasty of China bringing back cultural influences with them. For example, Kana, the Japanese phonetic alphabet, was developed from Chinese characters and the popularity of all things Chinoiserie among the upper classes involved all aspects of life, including art, architecture and food. In ad647, a Chinese monk presented milk – sheep’s as well as cow’s – to the Tenno (emperor) and was rewarded with the milking job in the royal household. However, milk never became established as a daily part of the Japanese diet and disappeared completely, as in China, around the 13th century following the arrival of Zen Buddhism.