Wang Xuansaku

Date of birth and death unknown. An envoy to India in the early Tang Dynasty of China. He served as an envoy to Magadha and other places from 643 to 646 to escort the return of the Brahmins sent by King Harshavardhana, who unified northern India, to the Tang Dynasty, and then served as a chief envoy himself to northern India from 647 to 648. However, King Harshavardhana had already died, and by chance the usurper Aranajun sent troops to refuse the envoy's entry and plundered the tribute trade goods, so he fled and called for several thousand reinforcements from Tibet (Tuban) and Nepal, finally defeating Aranajun and sending him as a prisoner to the Tang capital, where he was appointed as Chosan Taifu for his achievements. He later served as an envoy three times from 657 to 661 and traveled around central India.

He also made a great contribution to cultural exchange between China and India through the preservation of Buddhist cultural artifacts such as the Buddha's footprint. The ten volumes of "Records of Travels in Central India" (also known as "Records of the Travels of Wang Xuance"), which he is believed to have written in the few years since his return to China, remain in the "Fayuan Zhulin" and other publications as only twenty or so fragments, but they are a valuable supplement to Xuanzang's "Records of the Great Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions".

[Atsushi Ikeda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。中国、唐初のインドへの使者。北インドを統一した戒日王（ハルシャバルダナ）の遣唐使バラモンの帰国を送って643～646年にマガダ国などへ使いし、ついで自ら正使となって647～648年北インドへ赴いた。ところが戒日王はすでに死に、たまたま簒奪者(さんだつしゃ)阿羅那順(あらなじゅん)が出兵して入使を拒み貢納貿易品を略奪したので、彼は逃れ、チベット（吐蕃(とばん)）とネパールから数千の援兵を請い、ついに阿羅那順を打ち破り、これを捕虜として唐の都に送り、功により朝散大夫(ちょうさんたいふ)に登用された。のち657～661年に三度使者となって中インド各地を巡った。

　彼は仏足石など仏教文物の将来を通じても、中国、インド両者の文化交流に大いに貢献した。最後に帰国してから数年間に撰述(せんじゅつ)したとみられる『中天竺(てんじく)行記』（別名『王玄策行記』など）10巻は、今日『法苑珠林(ほうおんじゅりん)』などに20余条の逸文を残すにすぎないが、玄奘(げんじょう)の『大唐西域記(だいとうさいいきき)』を補う貴重な資料である。

［池田　温］

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