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==History==
==History==
===Origins===
===Origins===
The earliest object with written characters on it to be uncovered in Japan dates all the way back to [[57]] CE. This is a golden seal granted to the Japanese state of [[Na]] by [[Emperor Guangwu]] of the [[Han Dynasty]]. However, writing is not believed to have been truly adopted by Japanese elites in any significant way until the 5th century CE, and it was only beginning in the 7th century that materials began to be read and written more widely by the capital elites, including Buddhist and Confucian texts, and other Chinese materials.
The earliest object with written characters on it to be uncovered in Japan dates all the way back to [[57]] CE. This is a golden seal granted to the Japanese state of [[Na]] by [[Emperor Guangwu]] of the [[Han Dynasty]]. Inkstones dating to the [[Yayoi period]] have also been found, suggesting that writing was being practiced by at least some people, in some regions of the Japanese islands, far earlier than was previously believed.<ref>Nakamura Shunsuke, "[http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201711140051.html 2,000-year-old tool offers new proof of Japan’s earliest writing]," ''Asahi Shimbun'', 14 Nov 2017.</ref> However, research on those inkstones and their implications remains in very early stages. According to the standard historical understanding, writing was not believed to have been truly adopted by Japanese elites in any significant way until the 5th century CE, and it was only beginning in the 7th century that materials began to be read and written more widely by the capital elites, including Buddhist and Confucian texts, and other Chinese materials.
The ''Nihon shoki'' and ''[[Kojiki]]'' suggest that figures such as [[Wani]] or [[Achiki]]<!--阿直岐--> came to Japan from Paekche during the reign of [[Emperor Ojin|Emperor Ôjin]], and introduced the [[Analects of Confucius]] and other documents at that time. Though the dating of the events of the ''Nihon shoki'' and ''Kojiki'' would place this in the 3rd-4th centuries, scholars today believe that if the introduction of the Analects and the ''[[Thousand Character Classic]]'' by Wani and Achiki actually took place, it more likely took place in the early 5th century.
The ''Nihon shoki'' and ''[[Kojiki]]'' suggest that figures such as [[Wani]] or [[Achiki]]<!--阿直岐--> came to Japan from Paekche during the reign of [[Emperor Ojin|Emperor Ôjin]], and introduced the [[Analects of Confucius]] and other documents at that time. Though the dating of the events of the ''Nihon shoki'' and ''Kojiki'' would place this in the 3rd-4th centuries, scholars today believe that if the introduction of the Analects and the ''[[Thousand Character Classic]]'' by Wani and Achiki actually took place, it more likely took place in the early 5th century.