Materials Linked to Japanese Monk Added to UNESCO World Memory List

Tokyo, May 24 (Jiji Press)--UNESCO's executive board on Wednesday added to its Memory of the World list a set of historical materials brought to Japan from Tang dynasty China by Japanese Buddhist monk Enchin in the ninth century.

This is the eighth such listing from Japan, and the first since 2017.

"The Monk Enchin Archives: A History of Japan-China Cultural Exchange" consists of 56 materials, all of which are national treasures of Japan.

The materials include an original of a route permit believed to be one of the origins of the modern-day passport.

Enchin traveled to China during Japan's Heian period from the eighth to the 12th centuries, and spread esoteric Buddhism after returning home.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]