Fusang

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Ein myseriöses Land im Osten Chinas

(red) Fusang oder Fousang (扶桑, Mandarin Pīnyīn: fúsāng) ist ein legendäres Land, welches im Jahr 499 n. Chr. von dem buddhistischen Reisenden und Missionar Hui Shen (慧深; Mandarin Pīnyīn: huìshēn) aus China beschrieben wurde. Es soll 20.000 chinesische li (ca. 7000 bis 10.000 Kilometer, abhängig von der Definition des li) östlich von Da-han, und auch im Osten Chinas gelegen haben. Da-han wird dabei als eine Gegend geschildert, die sich nordöstlich des Landes Wo (dem südwestlichen Japan) befinde. Hui Shen war mit dem Schiff nach Fusang gereist, und bei seiner Rückkehr berichtete er dem Kaiser von China von seinen Entdeckungen. Sein Reisebericht findet sich im "Buch von Liang" (eine Geschichte der Liang-Dynastie) von Yao Silian aus dem 7. Jahrhundert n. Chr.

Aber auch ein früherer Bericht in den Annalen der Han-Dynastie erwähnt das mysteriöse Land im fernen Osten Chinas. Dort heißt es, der Kaiser Shi Huang habe im Jahr 219 v. Chr. sent "eine Expedition aus jungen Männern und Frauen in ein wundervolles Land" ausgesandt, "das weit draußen im Osten, jenseits des Ozeans liege, und Fu-Sang genannt werde. Die jungen Leute ließen sich dort nieder und waren glücklich".

Beschreibungen von Fusang

Abb. 1 Das Wort 'Fusang' in chinesischer Schrift

According to the report of Hui Shen to the Chinese during his visit to China, described in the Liang Shu:

"Fusang is 20,000 li to the East of the country of Dàhàn (lit. 'Great Han'), and located to the east of China (lit. 'Middle Country')." "On that land, there are many Fusang plants (perhaps red mulberry) that produce oval-shaped leaves similar to paulownia and edible purplish-red fruits like pears. The place was rich in copper and traces of gold and silver but no iron. The native tribes in Fusang were civilized, living in well-organized communities. They produced paper from the bark of the Fusang plants for writing and produced cloth from the fibers of the bark, which they used for robes or wadding. Their houses or cabins were constructed with red mulberry wood. The fruits and young shoots of the plants were one of their food sources. They raised deer for meat and milk, just as the Chinese raised cattle at home, and produced cheese with deer milk. They traveled on horseback and transported their goods with carts or sledges pulled by horses, buffalo, or deer." (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

On the organization of the country:

"An emperor, or a main chief, with the help of several officials, governed the country. The majority of people were law-abiding citizens. The country had no army or military defense but two jails, one in north and the other in south of the country. Those who had committed serious crimes were sent to the north and they stayed there for their entire lives. These inmates, however, could get married. If they got married and produced children, their sons became slaves and daughters remained as maids" (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

Abb. 2 This 1753 map by the French cartographer Philippe Buache locates Fusang ("Fou-sang des Chinois", "Fusang of the Chinese") north of the State of California, in the area of British Columbia.

On the social practices:

"The marriage arrangement was relatively simple. If a boy wanted to marry a girl, he had to build a cabin next to the home of the girl and stay there for a year. If the girl liked him they would get married; otherwise he would be asked to go away.…When a person died in the community his body would be cremated. The mourning period varied from seven days for the death of a parent to five days for a grandparent and three days for a brother or sister. During their mourning period they were not supposed to consume food, only water. They had no religion." (Liang Shu, in Lily Chow)

The Liang Shu also describes the conversion of Fusang to the Buddhist faith by five Buddhist monks from Gandhara:

"In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion, but in the second year of Da Ming of the Song dynasty (485 CE), five monks from Kipin (Kabul region of Gandhara) travelled by ship to that country. They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a result, the customs of Fusang changed".

Zwei Modelle zur Lokalisierung

Eastern Japan

Abb.3 Fusang ("Fousang des Chinois") ebenfalls im Gebiet des heutigen Britisch Kolumbien, auf einer französischen Weltkarte von 1792

A common interpretation of the term "Fusang" is Japan, although in Hui-Sheng's report Fusang is presented as distinct from the statelet of Wo, another name associated with ancient Japan and probably could have been describing Japanese communities in the island of Kyūshū or Ryukyu Kingdom.[citation needed]

In Chinese mythology, Fusang refers to a divine tree in the East, from where the sun rises. A similar tree, known as Ruomu exists in the west, and each morning the sun was said to rise from Fusang and fall on Ruomu. Chinese legend has ten birds (typically ravens) living in the tree, and as nine rested, the tenth would carry the sun on its journey. This legend has similarities with the Chinese tale of the fictional hero Houyi, sometimes referred to as the Archer, who is credited with saving the world by shooting down nine of the suns when one day all ten took to the air simultaneously. Some scholars have identified the bronze trees found at the archaeological site Sanxingdui with these Fusang trees. The term Fusang would later designate Japan in Chinese poems.[citation needed]

Fusang is pronounced Fusō (扶桑) in the Japanese language, and is one of the names to designate ancient Japan. Several warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy were named Fusō (the ironclad Fusō, or the World War II battleship Fusō). Several companies, such as Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation also bear the name.

The Americas

According to some historians since the work of Joseph de Guignes (Le Fou-Sang des Chinois est-il l'Amérique? Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, tome 28, Paris, 1761), the distances given by Hui Shen (20,000 Chinese li) would locate Fusang on the west coast of the American continent, when taking the ancient Han-period definition of the Chinese li. Some 18th century European maps locate Fusang north of the State of California, in the area of British Columbia.

The Chinese li, or Chinese mile unit of distance, varied through time. It was roughly 435 meters during the Chin and Han dynasties. With the Han li, the 20,000 li distance would translate into about 8,700 kilometers, a close approximation of the distance between China and British Columbia (8,600 kilometers).

Externa

Charles G. Leland, FUSANG - The Discovery of America by Chinese Buddhist Priests in the Fifth Century (1875)

Anmerkungen und Quellen

Dieser Beitrag basiert weitgehend auf dem Artikel "Fusang" bei Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia (Stand: 01.03.2010). Übersetzung ins Deutsche und umfassende redaktionelle Bearbeitung durch Atlantisforschung.de

Bild-Quelle

(1-3) Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia, unter: Fusang