Chapter 288 Is it really that bad?
The history of Omamori (御守宣) can be traced back to around 800 AD, but this one does not.
Judging from the paper quality and degree of oxidation, the second half of the score should be from the mid-Heian period in Japan, roughly from 1000 to 1100 AD.
At that time, China was in the Northern Song Dynasty.
The saying "a page of Song Dynasty literature is worth an ounce of gold" applies equally to Japan, a country also rooted in Confucian culture. Especially considering it involves imperial paper and ink.
For example: Song Dynasty court manuscripts!
After a careful search, there was no collector's seal of the Fushimi family, but there was a shield-shaped seal on the title page, which looked like this:
Lin Sicheng's fingers paused slightly as he ran his hand over the darkened mark: No wonder this book, with its nearly thousand-year history, has been preserved so well.
It is not only a court copy, but also a royal collection.
At first, Lü Chenglong didn't pay much attention, only glancing at it casually. Lin Sicheng had already turned to the title page, and he paused for a moment: "Xiao Lin, turn over and take a look, it's the first page!"
Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, then flipped back over.
Lü Chenglong squinted and looked closely.
Although his main research area is porcelain, it doesn't mean he doesn't understand epigraphy or seal carving: this shield-shaped seal is the oracle bone script for "cang".
The structure is neat, the lines are slender and straight, and the carving is excellent.
Upon closer recollection, Lü Chenglong couldn't recall seeing a similar seal in the Forbidden City. He also had no recollection of it in familiar historical records. Strangely, the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before, and it left a deep impression on me.
And this ancient book is in Japanese...
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Director Lü's mind: This is the collection seal of the Shosoin Repository in Japan?
He suddenly looked up, about to say something, when he realized that two antique dealers, one fat and one thin, were still standing there.
Thinking it over, he gave Lin Sicheng a wink.
Lin Sicheng nodded slightly.
The Shosoin is an institution dedicated to the collection and preservation of treasures and artifacts by the Japanese Emperor and Imperial Family. In terms of its existence alone, it is older than the Forbidden City.
It houses more treasures than the Forbidden City.
One-tenth of the items are exquisite cultural relics from the Tang Dynasty and later introduced to Japan from China; another tenth are Western cultural relics that flowed into Japan via China; and the remaining tenth are imitations made in Japan from various periods based on Chinese cultural relics.
The remaining 70% came from the war of aggression against China.
According to statistics, over eight years, the Japanese army looted more than 7.6 million cultural relics from the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Mountain Resort in Chengde, the Shenyang Imperial Palace, major temples and monasteries across the country, and from major collectors.
The National Palace Museum currently has 1.68 million items, and the Taipei Palace Museum has 700,000, totaling approximately 2.4 million items, which is less than one-third of the total.
Moreover, all the stolen items were national treasures: a Tang Dynasty mother-of-pearl inlaid pipa, a Tang Dynasty mother-of-pearl inlaid sandalwood ruan, rare and valuable Song Dynasty books, as well as countless jade, bamboo, wood, glass, gold and silver artifacts and calligraphy and paintings.
This doesn't even include the copperware that was directly taken to the arsenal, melted down, and made into bullets.
Lin Sicheng had long planned to go to Japan after he had established himself in Beijing.
He couldn't do anything about the pieces that were in the museum, but there were as many as three or four million pieces scattered among the Japanese people. Even if he was unlucky, as long as he put in the effort, he was sure he could find a few pieces.
He turned the page after a moment's thought.
At first glance: it's all in Japanese.
Actually, no. This is the Chinese gongche notation, which was introduced to Japan along with Chinese characters during the Tang Dynasty. Around the Northern Song Dynasty, Japan created the Japanese language based on Chinese characters and using the musical notes from the gongche notation as pronunciation.
That's why Lin Sicheng said that Japanese is not difficult to learn.
After flipping through it roughly, Lin Sicheng subconsciously frowned: So many musical instruments?
Bells, chimes, zithers, flutes, chimes, sheng, panpipes, pipa, ruanxian, konghou, bili, jiegu, cymbals, hulei... almost all the mainstream musical instruments of the Tang Dynasty were used.
Reading the score again, the rhythm is sometimes bright and lively, and sometimes soothing. It is not the kind of music for celebrations and sacrifices, but more like banquet music.
Moreover, the scale was enormous, with at least fifty musicians alone; it was definitely a grand piece of Yanyue music.
There are songs, music, and dances.
Further speculation suggests that it's likely not Song dynasty music. Song dynasty court music emphasized standardization and leaned towards refinement and elegance. Even at large court banquets, there were rarely more than twenty musicians.
Furthermore, the musical style is also incorrect. Tang dynasty music is inclusive and generous, leaning towards lyricism. Song dynasty music is rigorous and standardized, focusing more on narrative. This book clearly leans more towards the former.
He continued flipping through the pages until he reached the end, where he saw the two Chinese characters “惊鸿” (jinghong). Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, carefully recalling the meaning.
Immediately, his pupils contracted involuntarily: the Dance of the Startled Swan?
Li Longji: Playing the white jade flute, performing the Dance of the Startled Swan, a radiant scene... This is a dance piece that Li Longji composed for his favorite concubine, Consort Mei, in the early years of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
Later, Yang Jingshu, the military governor of Xiliang, presented a famous local melody, namely the Buddhist music "Brahman Melody" from Zhangye, Gansu. Li Longji collaborated with "The Dance of the Startled Swan" to create and adapt it, composing the "Rainbow Feather Dress Dance" for Yang Guifei.
This dance piece is historically recognized as the pinnacle of Tang Dynasty music and dance, yet it is also seen as the decadent music that marked the dynasty's downfall.
During the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty alone, more than thirty poets wrote over sixty poems describing the Rainbow Feather Dance. Among them, Bai Juyi wrote the most, a total of eighteen poems.
However, the original melody and score were lost during the An Lushan Rebellion.
Until a few years ago, relevant departments, based on the dance figures found in Tang Dynasty tombs, murals, and Dunhuang murals, as well as several large-scale musical scores left over from the Tang Dynasty, combined with historical materials and poetic descriptions, carried out a conceptual restoration and re-creation.
For example, Chongqing TV's "Lirenxing", Henan TV's "Tang Palace Night Banquet", and Shaanxi Song and Dance Troupe's "Tang Dynasty Music and Dance" all belong to this category.
Therefore, no one ever imagined that the original score still existed in the world. Even the Japanese probably didn't expect it, let alone discover it. Otherwise, relevant institutions should have already conducted research and released the news simultaneously.
Lin Sicheng, in both his and Lin's lifetimes, had never heard of a copy of the "Jinghong Dance" in Japan.
He never imagined that he would see its true face in his lifetime.
The reason why cultural relics are valuable lies in the cultural value bestowed upon them by history: they serve as evidence, standardize, and supplement history, as well as witness the development of civilization, pass on cultural memory, and enhance national cohesion.
Things like this are beyond the measure of money. Even someone as composed as Lin Sicheng couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
He patiently closed the sheet music and then casually placed it on the table.
The shop owner's heart skipped a beat: He didn't like any of them?
Lin Sicheng's demeanor was undeniably too calm and casual. He picked up each book at random and flipped through it casually.
Occasionally, I'll look at the stamps on it, but how many Japanese stamps can Chinese people recognize?
Anyway, the shop owner took it to the provincial capital and consulted many experts, but none of them could explain the secrets.
The chubby boss was also a little discouraged, thinking that he had made a wasted trip and that he could forget about getting the referral fee today.
As the two were sighing inwardly, Lin Sicheng tapped the table: "Boss, name your price!"
Huh?
The two men perked up, and the fat boss winked, indicating that he could rest assured about the price.
The shop owner hesitated: Don't let his youth fool you, this young man is probably an expert. It's just that the fat man's eyesight isn't good enough to tell.
Forget about cutting, but it can't be too low either.
He thought for a moment, then held up three fingers and shook them.
You're not going to say anything, so you want me to guess?
OK.
Lin Sicheng smiled: "Three hundred?"
The shop owner rolled his eyes. Three hundred? He couldn't even afford the fare for these few items.
"Of course, it's thirty thousand!"
Thirty thousand is certainly not expensive, but the second book, "Yue Dian Yue," along with the "Fushimi Palace" seal on the title page, is worth almost three hundred thousand.
But Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Too high!"
The shop owner pretended to be in a difficult position, gritted his teeth, and said, "Twenty-eight thousand, I can't go any lower!"
Lin Sicheng shook his head again, but he didn't have time to argue with the fat boss, so he let him squeeze out the toothpaste little by little: "Eight thousand, it's fine if it's okay, if not, we'll leave."
The shop owner was taken aback: Sure enough, an expert.
In this line of work, besides having a keen eye, you also need to be able to read people's expressions. After observing for a long time, he couldn't tell whether the young man was more looking forward to these books or more confused.
But strangely enough, he was incredibly generous and lavish in his spending.
Looking at the table again: the papers on the books are quite old, but they are all in Japanese. Who knows what's written on them?
For ordinary customers, they would just glance at it and leave without even asking the price. Even when he initially acquired it, it was as a bonus to those two pieces of porcelain.
So the shop owner was a little unsure whether the eight thousand was a profit or a bad deal.
After thinking about it for a while, he decided to sell it.
"Eight thousand it is!"
With a sigh, the shop owner shoved the three books into the box and pushed it forward, asking, "Could you tell me what these books are?"
Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I don't know either, the paper just looks old!"
The shop owner curled his lip: Didn't you just say you could speak Japanese?
But he didn't ask any more questions. He took the machine, swiped his card, and got a receipt.
Lin Sicheng left his phone number and told the shop owner to call him if he had any more of these items.
The portly boss nodded and saw the two out.
Seeing Lin Sicheng and Lü Chenglong turn the corner, the fat boss complained, "Old Yin, didn't I tell you? They drive a Mercedes worth over a million! And you, you're selling it for eight thousand? Couldn't you have asked for more?"
Ask for a higher price, what if the other party doesn't want it?
The shop owner chuckled and then said nothing more.
Fatty, we both entered this business together, so why did I open a shop while you're still setting up a stall?
Because Lao Tzu knew: it doesn't matter if your judgment isn't good, but you must know when to stop. Those three tattered books, if I don't sell them now, who else can I sell them to?
We can't just keep waiting for a Japanese person to come here, can we?
I guess I'll have to wait until my next life...
He took out his wallet, counted out eight bills, and slapped them on the fat man's wrist. After the man left, he closed the roller shutter door and took out his phone to make a call.
"Uncle, do you still have those two books I didn't want before? Yes, those two Japanese books that are so faded you can barely read them."
"Okay, I'll go pick it up in a couple of days... Wait, there's also porcelain? I don't want the porcelain..."
...
The two left the Guan Gong Temple and went into the mutton soup restaurant across the street.
After getting a private room and settling in, Lin Sicheng opened the box: "Director Lü, please take another look."
"I don't even know Japanese, what kind of expert am I?"
Lü Chenglong shook his head: "I'm just curious: how did the treasures from the Shosoin Repository in Japan end up in China?"
To be honest, Lin Sicheng didn't know either.
However, he recalled that in 2011, when the Shanxi Cultural Relics Bureau carried out protective restoration on the former site of the Japanese Army Headquarters in Taiyuan, many cultural relics were unearthed.
There are Hizen porcelain sea rat glazed plates from the Edo period (late Qing and early Ming dynasties), Satsuma Kiriko glass cups, and Japanese coins from the Muromachi period (Ming dynasty).
Even earlier, around 2020, during the third phase of the expansion of the West Market site of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, roof tiles from Fujiwara-kyo (the first capital city in Japanese history) during the Asuka period (592-710) were unearthed.
It is speculated that this was left behind by Japanese envoys who came to Tang Dynasty China to learn construction techniques during the Nara period (710-784).
However, despite its early origin, it is not as special as these few musical scores: they have both the seals of the Fushimi family and the Shosoin Repository, which suggests only one possibility: they were brought out by a Japanese general of royal lineage, and very likely from the Fushimi family, during the invasion of China.
After counting and comparing, it seems that only one person meets all these conditions: Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, the adopted son of Emperor Komei, the 121st Emperor of Japan.
He once temporarily served as Emperor, but was later deposed and placed under house arrest. He served as commander-in-chief during the First Sino-Japanese War, and later contracted malaria during the invasion of Taiwan, dying a few days later.
It's just a guess; whether it's true or not doesn't matter.
Compared to that, he would rather translate the musical score and even restore the "Dance of the Startled Swan".
If we could find one or two more related books, that would be even better.
Lü Chenglong glanced at them again: "Are all three of these sheet music?"
"Yes!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "We'll need to find a professional to determine the exact piece."
Lu Chenglong had no doubt: as the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise, and even the most talented person cannot know everything.
The two returned to the hotel, and Lin Sicheng made a phone call to Zhao Er.
Afterwards, Lin Sicheng called Huang Zhifeng, Tian Jie, and Gao Zhangyi into his room for a short meeting.
I'll officially join the crew tomorrow, and there are some issues I need to discuss beforehand.
After the meeting, the group chatted for a while longer and were just about to leave when the doorbell rang twice.
Looking at the time, Lin Sicheng realized that Zhao Da must have arrived, so he asked Fang to go in and open the door.
As soon as he opened it, Fang Jin exclaimed, "Professor Wang!"
Several people turned around at the same time: Isn't that Wang Qizhi?
Ye Anning was following behind him.
But you only parted ways this morning?
Seeing Wang Qizhi's expression, they all guessed that he had something to do, and the group immediately took their leave.
As soon as the man left, Wang Qizhi asked bluntly, "What did you buy this time?"
Lin Sicheng was taken aback: when he called Zhao Da, he didn't mention anything, only that he should bring two boxes for carrying books.
Professor Wang guessed that he had found another treasure when Zhao Er mentioned bringing the bag.
As for Cousin Ye, she probably only overheard it and was just joining in the fun.
Lin Sicheng took the box out from under the coffee table: "It's so far, just let Boheng come. Teacher, you don't need to make a special trip."
"Zhao Lao Er is a bit impulsive, I'm not too comfortable with him. If it were the eldest brother, I definitely wouldn't have come."
After replying, Wang Qizhi took out the sheet music and flipped through it.
Then, looking completely bewildered, he asked, "A Japanese book?"
"Yes, only the middle one is in Chinese, but it was also circulated from Japan!"
Lin Sicheng took out the bound volume, "Especially this one, the first half is a section of the ancient Japanese court music 'Yue Dian Shu,' and the second half is the court banquet music 'Jing Hong Wu,' which was transmitted to Japan during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Moreover, it has the seals of the Fushimi-no-miya family and the Shosoin Repository..."
Upon hearing about the Fushimi-no-miya family and the Shosoin Repository, Ye Anning's eyes lit up: "Lin Sicheng, should we bid?"
Coincidentally, Poly also has a branch in Japan.
Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: "Cousin Ye, this is the Dance of the Startled Swan from the Tang Dynasty!"
“I know, you just said: Tang Dynasty court banquet music.”
Lin Sicheng sighed: No wonder Cousin Ye was so slow.
It was transmitted to Japan during the Tang Dynasty, but was lost in China afterwards. However, Japan has preserved hundreds of court music pieces in good condition. Unless you are a specialist in Chinese classical music, who can remember them all?
Director Lü also saw the Chinese characters "惊鸿" (jinghong) on the last page of the score, but he didn't think about it at all.
"Cousin Ye, this is a dance piece that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang composed for Consort Mei. Later, he combined this piece with Buddhist music from the Western Regions to create the 'Rainbow Feather Dance'."
Regardless of which piece it is, the original scores in China were almost entirely lost during the An Lushan Rebellion. Even Japan might not know that any copies exist. Therefore, I don't know if this is the only one in the world…”
Lin Sicheng patiently explained, and Ye Anning's eyes widened little by little. Her face slowly flushed: "Should we auction this off, or take it to Japan?"
Is there something wrong with my brain?
But Lin Sicheng didn't tell her, so she really didn't know this thing was so important.
To put it elegantly, this is a hidden gem in history. To put it seriously, this is irrefutable proof that Japanese civilization originated from China.
Not to mention the early 2000s, even in the early 2020s, in various academic settings, lectures, and even online forums, there was still a group of domestic professors and experts defending Japan: Japanese Gagaku did not originate from Tang Dynasty music, but was developed independently in Japan.
Lin Sicheng could never understand: Japan only created its own language using Chinese characters and Chinese musical notation during the Song Dynasty, so how did his independent music fall from the sky?
Wang Qizhi was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth for a long time: he guessed that Lin Sicheng had found something good, but he never thought that it was a rare overseas copy.
"No... you're going to send Zhao Lao Er to fetch something like this?"
Lin Sicheng opened his mouth, but after thinking about it, he simply closed it.
Zhao Er's temperament is indeed a bit impulsive, and that's certainly not ideal. But on the other hand, being too clear-headed isn't always a good thing.
It wasn't that I feared my apprentice had ill intentions, but rather that a lack of secrecy could lead to disaster: from a cultural, historical, and even national perspective, the value of these three musical scores was no less than that of the "Xu Weili Documents".
"Let's go somewhere else!" Wang Qizhi carefully put the sheet music into the box. "I'm not leaving tonight either. I'll have Deputy Director Chen (Chen Peng) send two plainclothes officers over tomorrow!"
Lin Sicheng was both amused and exasperated: "Teacher, is it really that serious?"
The Crimson Cloud Cup and the "Xu Weili Documents" were also brought back from Hangzhou by him and Gu Ming.
Wang Qizhi really wanted to curse: What do you mean, "It's not that serious?" But he swallowed the words back down.
Lin Sicheng dared to fight even tomb raiders carrying guns and explosives, so what could possibly frighten him?
He pointed vaguely with his finger: "Whether it's serious or not, if it happens again, tell me immediately, and I'll take care of the rest!"
"Teacher, I can't trouble you with such small things every time!"
Wang Qizhi: Hehe!
He actually hoped that Lin Sicheng would bother him a few more times: it would save him face.
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