Xu Fu Dongdu introduced the civilization of the Qin Dynasty to Japan and promoted the qualitative leap of Japanese society. Therefore, Xu Fu is revered as the god of farming, sericulture and medicine in Japan. The sacrificial activities in Japan to commemorate Xu Fu have lasted for thousands of years. However, since Sima Qian's first record of Xu Fu's eastward journey in "Historical Records", he also left the mystery related to Xu Fu to posterity.
One of the suspicious groups, did Xu Fu arrive in Japan on the east trip? Regarding the question of Xu Fu’s destination, most scholars in the academic world believe that Xu Fu did travel to Japan. Some even suggested that after Xu Fu arrived in Japan, he established the Japanese dynasty and that Xu Fu was Emperor Shenmu; some scholars questioned this statement. It is believed that when it comes to Hainan Island or North Korea, some people have proposed to the Americas.
According to the record in the "Historical Records · Huainan Hengshan Biographies": "Xu Fude plain Guangze, but the king will not come." It can be speculated that Xu Fu landed on a plain. Japan is an island country composed of more than 3,000 small islands. Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Hokkaido are the four major islands, with a total area of 376,700 square kilometers. 24% of the country's area is plain. The larger plains include the East Plain, the Noo Plain, and the Kinai Plain. Except for the Japanese archipelago, other islands do not have the geographical feature of "plain Hiroze".
In addition, Xu Fu traveled east to Japan, which is also recorded in the history books of later generations. There is also a record in the "Three Kingdoms·Book of Wu·Biography of the Lord of Wu": "The elders rumored that Qin Shihuang sent alchemist Xu Fu thousands of men and women into the sea, seeking Penglai sacred mountain and immortal medicine, but this continent will not be returned." In the Book of Later Han, The incident of Xu Fu entering the sea for immortality is attached to the back of the country of Japan. In the Five Dynasties period, Yichu monk wrote "Yi Chu Liu Tie": "Japan is also known as the Kingdom of Japan, in the East China Sea, during the Qin Dynasty, Xu Fu stopped this country with 500 virgins and 500 virgins." In Japanese academic circles, There are also many historical materials describing Xu Fu's arrival in Japan, including "Shenhuang Zhengtongji", "Lin Luoshan Collection", "Different Names of Japan", "Tongwen Tong Kao" and other documents. Lin Xia Jian Lin said in the "Different Names of Japan": "Yizhou and Chanzhou are both Japan. According to legend, there is the tomb of Xu Fu under the Kumano Mountain of Ji-Yi Kingdom. There is Penglai Mountain in the southeast of Kumano New Palace, and Xu Fu Temple is in front of the mountain." Arai Jun Mei said in "Tong Wen Tong Kao", "Today there is a place called Qin residence near Kumano, and the natives are said to be the old place where Xu Fu lived. From this, there is Xu Fu Temple in Qibali. The ancient tombs are scattered, and it is said that it was the tomb of his family. If the old relics are still passed down today, and there are other surnames of Qin, it is inevitable that the people of Qin will come and go." Wakayama Shingu Town’s "Qin Xufu Inscription" described it like this: "Today the East China Sea can be a Penglai, and if there is no way for the emperor to ask for anything else, it is called the country of Japan. In fact, it must be done."
In Japanese folk, Xu Fu is honored as the God of agriculture, sericulture and medicine. Some Japanese think they are descendants of Xufu, and their basis is that in Japanese, Qin and Yutian pronounce the same. Yutanzi, a former Japanese Prime Minister, has called himself a descendant of Xufu. "I am a descendant of the Qin people. My surname wrote Qin very early. When I was Prime Minister, archaeologists and historians investigated my family and found the word Qin on the tombstone of the ancestors."
However, some scholars believe that Xu Fu is only a legend to travel to Japan. The ancient Japanese literature contains Xu Fu legends, who took the book of emperor of God (1339) as the earliest, and other records in the 17th and 8th centuries. Therefore, they inferred that they were influenced by Chinese literature since Song and Yuan Dynasties. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Japan and China had frequent exchanges, but the word Xu Fu was rare in the literature. Some scholars believe that Xu Fu Dongdu is a historical fact, but it is not to Japan, but to America, because the time of Xufu Dongdu coincides with the rise of American Maya civilization. Wei Juxian, a former professor of Jinan University in Shanghai and director of Nanjing Institute of ancient antiquity preservation, examined and verified that more than 40 species of animal and plant minerals produced in America were known to the people of the pre Qin Dynasty. As the spring and Autumn Period records that "six □ retreat flies over the song capital", and "□" is the unique "hummingbird" in America. After the Yan Dynasty was destroyed, some Yan people fled to North America and returned to visit and brought back six hummingbirds. In commemorating the expedition, Qi Huan Gong drew a "hummingbird map" on the flag. Juxian thinks that before Columbus discovered America, many Chinese had visited America, so Xu Fu was likely to travel to America in the East. Wu people "foreign map" pointed out that "the island of Langya Wanli", according to distance analysis is not Japan, but the Americas. The first book of post Han Dynasty, which was written about Japan, distinguishes the two countries. The word "Yi" has the meaning of big island, and the American continent is like "Yi". So it is named after the font. Now Honolulu still has square rocks with Chinese seal characters. Ancient arrows carved with Chinese seal characters are unearthed near San Francisco. All of these are the evidence of Xu Fu's eastward crossing America.
Second, why does Xu Fu ferry to the east? According to the historical records, the emperor of Qin Shihuang offered great support to Xu Fu Dongdu for the purpose of seeking immortal medicine of Shenshan and seeking immortality medicine. "The records of Shizhou also recorded this:" when the first emperor of Qin Dynasty, the dead were wronged in Dawan, and there were birds and grass, covering the dead and living on the ground. Some officials heard of the first emperor. The first emperor sent the emissary to ask Mr. Guigu that the cloud was the immortal grass on the middle ancestor continent of the East China Sea. He gave birth to qiongtian and a ganoderma. Its leaves are like wild rice, without clumps, and one plant can live thousands of people. The first emperor said that he could ask for it. Xu Fu and 3000 boys and girls were sent to the sea by building boat, and they would not return to the ancestral continent. "
Not all the statements support this kind of statement, and many historical books have put forward the theory of avoiding disaster. There are corresponding records in Han and post Han books. "Han Shu, Jiao Si Zhi Xia" said: "Xufu, Han eventually belong to many children and men into the sea, seeking God to collect medicine, because of the escape can not return, the world resents." "The later Han Dynasty book · Dongyi biography" said: "there are also Yizhou and Tianzhou. It is said that the emperor sent the founder Xu Fu to thousands of men and women into the sea, asking Penglai gods not to do so, Xu Fuwei dare not return, so this continent.". Wang Zun, a poet in Tang Dynasty, wrote in his poem "East China Sea:" the waves of the Yangzhou reflect the beauty of flowers, and xufulian will not return it. When the boat was in danger, he avoided Qin guests. What was the trip like Wuling beach. " The author compares Xu Fu to the story of the origin of peach blossom written by TaoYuanming, which is about the migration of Wuling fishermen to Taohuayuan in order to avoid Qin chaos. In order to escape the rule of Yuan Dynasty, the monks of the Southern Song Dynasty also crossed to Japan to the East. He had a poem offering to Xufu: "Mr. has not returned to collect medicine, so the country has several degrees of river. Today, I am talking and sending it to you. I also want to avoid Qin. " Zuyuan compared himself to Japan as Xu Fu and Qin. The inscription on Xu Fu tomb in shinakura, Japan also reads: "cover the life of Xu and avoid Qin..."
Others hold the view of "overseas development". They believed that Qin Shihuang would never believe in the elixir of longevity based on his great talents. He sent Xu Fu to sea, which may be related to overseas development. "The Spring and Autumn of Lu Family: For Desire" pointed out the ideal of the ruler of the Qin Kingdom: "From Daxia in the north, Beihu in the south, Sanwei in the west, and Fumu in the east, we dare not chaos." "Fumu" means "Fuso", later called Japan. Qin Shihuang repeatedly sent Xu Fu and others into the sea to search for the Three Gods Mountain, not simply to gather magical medicine, but to expand the eastern territories to Japan.
Qin Shihuang has unified the world for only twelve years, but he has visited the eastern coast four times, which shows that he paid great attention to the eastern islands. Some scholars said: "The fundamental purpose of the first emperor’s eastward tour is to realize the ideal of east to Fumu, and Xu Fu’s exploration of the sea is a concrete action to realize the ideal and aspiration of the first emperor." Qin Shihuang Zeng Langya said in the stone carving: "Putian Below, the heart is drawn. The equipment is measured, and the text is in the same book. The sun and the moon are illuminated by the Zhou Yu. All their lives are dead. Don’t be surprised.” He said: “The west covers the quicksand, the south ends in the north. There is in the east. The East China Sea crosses Great Xia to the north, and there are people everywhere, and there are no ministers.” It can be seen from this that Qin Shihuang had long ago intended to annex Japan, and Xu Fu's eastward journey may be related to this.
Mystery 3, where does Xu Fu’s fleet set sail? The main statements on this point are: Qinhuangdao and Huanghua in Hebei Province, Cixi and Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province, Haizhou in Jiangsu Province (now Ganyu County, Lianyungang), and Dengzhou Bay in Shandong Province (Huang County, Longkou City) And that of Langya and Chengshantou at Xushan (Qingdao) in Jiaozhou Bay.
Regarding the saying about going out to sea in Yanshan County, Hebei, those who hold this view believe that Xu Fu's entry into the sea is indeed a matter of fact. The Wudigou entry point is the Xu Fu entry point, and the ancient Qintai site that still exists to this day is a testimony. In 219 BC (the 28th year of Emperor Qin Shihuang), Emperor Qin Shihuang visited Langya east, and Xu Fu asked to enter the sea for the first time. Due to improper selection of the place to enter the sea, he was blocked on the way and returned. In 210 BC (the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shihuang), Qin Shihuang came to Langya again, and Xu Fu asked to enter the sea again. According to the will of Qin Shihuang, he changed the place to go to sea, and entered the sea via Wudigou in Rao'an, the former place of Qi State (now Jiuxian Town, Yanshan County). This time Dongdu arrived in Japan and never returned.
However, the most likely one is Langya going out to sea. Xu Fu's crossing the sea to seek immortality is most closely related to Langya. Qin Shihuang visited the world Zengsan Lin Langya, during which he summoned Xu Fu twice. Since the place where he wrote the book is in Langya, his preparation for going to sea and the place to enter the sea is naturally Langya. "Historical Records" recorded this, "(Qin Shihuang patrolled the south of the Yangtze River), returned to Wu, crossed from the river to the sea, and north to Langya. The alchemist Xu Fu and others went into the sea to ask for magical medicine. :'Penglai medicine is available, but it is often suffered by the mackerel, so I can't come. I would like to shoot with all, if you see it, you can shoot it with a crossbow. The dream of the first emperor and the sea god fight like a human. Ask Zhanmeng , The doctor said: "The god of water is not visible, take the big fish and dragons as the wait. Today, I pray for the temple, and if there is this evil god, it should be removed, and the good god can be caused." With Liannuhou the big fish shoots out. From the north of Langya to Rongcheng Mountain, Fujian, Zhizhifeng, see the giant fish, shoot a fish, and then merge into the Haixi. To the plain Jin and get sick." Sima Qian clearly pointed out that Qin Shihuang Set sail with Xu Fu from Langya northward, rounded the mountain to Zhihu, after shooting a giant fish, Qin Shihuang returned to the plain to get sick and died within a short time. However, Xu Fu went to a foreign land after he shot the giant fish. It can be seen from this that the port of Xu Fu's fleet should be Langya Port.
So far, there are still many mysteries about Xu Fu that cannot be concluded either positively or negatively. With the vast sea, Xu Fu's puzzle of ferrying eastward became an eternal case.
