How an Indian Monk Changed Japan Forever | History of Medieval Japan (Nara)

In the 8th century, a South Indian (Tamil) Buddhist monk named Bodhisena journeyed from Madurai to the Far East in an attempt to locate his spiritual mentor. He arrived in Imperial Nara, Japan and discovered a country on the brink of collapse: wracked by drought and a smallpox epidemic, facing an ongoing debt crisis, and struggling through political turmoil.
Enjoy!
Some commenters have requested additional reading and sources:
- "From Outcasts to Emperors: Shingon Ritsu and the Mañjuśrī Cult in Medieval Japan," by David Quinter (pg. 65+ for the transformation of Gyoki's public image as Manjusri)
- "A Waka Anthology: Grasses of Remembrance" by Edwin A. Cranston (pg. 434 for the exchange between Gyoki and Bodhisena)
- "Japan: Its Architecture, Art and Art Manufactures," by Christopher Dresser (includes discussions on Todaiji temple and its cost)
- "Population, Disease, and Land in Early Japan, 645-900" by William Wayne Ferris (includes discussions on the smallpox epidemic and its impacts)
- "Japanese Buddhism" by Charles Eliot
- "Music from the Tang Court," by Laurence Picken (includes discussions about Hironari's return delegation from China with Bodhisena)
#japanesehistory #japaneseculture #buddhism
--
Sakuya by Peritune peritune.com/
Promoted by MrSnooze • Video
Creative Commons - CC BY 3.0 goo.gl/Yibru5
Sakuya2 by Peritune peritune.com/
Promoted by MrSnooze • Video
Creative Commons - CC BY 3.0 goo.gl/Yibru5
Sakuya3 by Peritune peritune.com/
Promoted by MrSnooze • Video
Creative Commons - CC BY 3.0 goo.gl/Yibru5
Shizima by Peritune peritune.com/
Promoted by MrSnooze • Video
Creative Commons - CC BY 3.0 goo.gl/Yibru5
--
Minor semantic correction: Bodhisena introduced Kegon Buddhism to Japan.

[@OddCompass]

For clarity: this video is about a Tamil Buddhist monk named Bodhisena. It is NOT a video about the famous Tamil Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Bodhisena and Bodhidharma are different people! Check out my channel page to see more videos! And for interesting history tidbits, check out my instagram: instagram.com/oddcompasshistory/

[@takenbythewindNdrivenbythesea]

Odd Compass I’m looking forward 👍🏻

[@shkarthikeyan]

Also another tamil monk bodhidharma was a pallava prince who spread Buddhism and thought kung fu in China

[@OddCompass]

@@shkarthikeyan Indeed, he's a fascinating man

[@xyyxyxxy1616]

A small suggestion. At the time of bodhidharma, there was no tamil nadu, it was just pallava kingdom, which extends much into the today's andhra and some parts of kerala and karnataka (which again changed a lot over the time)

[@wolfgang8372]

Ok

[@RB-fp8hn]

Perhaps the only non-Indian KZbin channel where "Sanskrit" was pronounced correctly :)

[@OddCompass]

Haha thanks! Though I’m Indian-American, so perhaps that explains it :)

[@laxmanhanamghar5358]

'Sanskrut' is correct word

[@RB-fp8hn]

@@laxmanhanamghar5358 The spelling of one language using the alphabet of another is always an approximation. My comment was about appreciating his correct pronunciation. Otherwise, it's a meaningless conversation about which letter to use for what sound (e.g., the soft "t" doesn't exist in English either).

[@Srikrishnakarthik]

@@laxmanhanamghar5358 No in writing its called samskrutam! Even in telugu and tamil we pronounce it like that. English might have take offf the end word um. The original written Word has um ending.

[@rajwakale9663]

@@OddCompass 6:00 Hey bro..! Buddhist use pali language. Not sanskrit. Sanskrit is not oldest language in india or in world. Sanskrit means "Sanskarit" means "The Modified". If Sanskarit is oldest language then how they pronounce "Hri" "Trya" "Dnya". Those word are devloped or discovered in 17th century. Even the language written in Devnagri calligraphy. That is developed in ~16th century.

[@raajpalsinhchudasama4427]

The thing i find very fascinating is that 'how people were able to live, speak and travel in multilingual and multi-ethnic regions in that time...!'

[@sudarshan3965]

they used to take people who knew both languages with them

[@vincenzoribiero61]

Google Translate my dude

[@rgatekeeping8240]

@@vincenzoribiero61 damn YOU 😤

[@nikhilraj418]

Me too

[@nikhilraj418]

Those days distance and other challenges didn't stop people from traveling however visa is doing so

[@adithyaks8584]

Initially I thought it was about Pallava king Bodhi Dharman but this is entirely different. Interesting to know how people travelled from Madurai to Japan,China in the olden days.

[@OddCompass]

Yep! Want to know something else quite fascinating? Bodhisena stayed with another Tamil monk while in Xi'an -- the other Tamil monk was the head of the largest Buddhist temple in the Chinese capital.

[@adithyaks8584]

@@OddCompass interesting will study about these personalities. Keep up the good work. If you find any facts about Lemuria aka Kumari kandan do post those. (It's failrly imaginary as well as fairly possible). Thanks.

[@Dhksksjjsjjs]

@@OddCompass that's bodhidharma right? The Hindu prince turned wandering Buddhist monk

[@user-kt3jn7wx5f]

@@Dhksksjjsjjs Bodhisena n Bodhidharm are different persons..there r many who went to South East Asia🙏

[@Dhksksjjsjjs]

@@user-kt3jn7wx5f is 'bodhi' like a title for monks?

[@vinodhraaj1545]

Amazing take on history of India. As someone from Madurai myself, it was really interesting to see how politics and religion shaped the society. I think you've got some really good thing going on here 👍

[@OddCompass]

Thank you!

[@amresponsibilitytakernotli9613]

There is nothing like conversion in #Dharmic cultures just different ways to attain mukti

[@Someone-uu9xv]

One of the most underrated channel in youtube

[@OddCompass]

Thank you!

[@Someone-uu9xv]

​@@OddCompass KZbin AI recommendation algorithm is bad for not promoting your videos, Keep up the good work someday they might change it.

[@OddCompass]

I really appreciate your support! I'm not too worried about KZbin promoting me, as it supposedly accelerates once a channel hits 1000 subscribers -- I'm definitely looking forward to that :)

[@user-yd9kz8tv8q]

@@OddCompass I believe you need more advertising in other social media platforms as other channels do.

[@nine9605]

watchdogs aiden pearce

[@nilaaparam9035]

Hmm I have noticed some ancient Japanese Gods and Goddesses are similar to our Hindu Gods and Goddesses

[@gyolsang]

Yeah just with different name

[@melody964]

@@davidjacobs8558 yea.. That's true. Shintoism was the folk religion of Japan which adopted hindu gods which buddhism brought along

[@user-ze7ml6ec9m]

@eldarmario presario There are different schools of Buddhism. What you are describing is Hinyana school, the most ancient one(spread by Ashoka). Later Mahayan form which believed in Bodhisattva and deification of Budha. This was spread by Kanishka and in later centuries another school called Vajrayan(popular in Tibet)ecame more popular which was very similar to Mahayana school.

[@epifania6529]

Japanese gods are literally Hindu gods with different names

[@utubetruthteller]

@eldarmario presario have you heard about adaitva School of Hinduism where there is no god or deity, so keep quiet if you don't understand Hinduism, buddhism belongs Hinduism, there is absolutely no problem in accommodating buddhism in hindu fold.

[@adams8849]

It goes to confirm the current day standard... Indians really shine in onsite locations... earlier Japan, China and now US, Australia

[@granand]

:-) :-)

[@bytheway4819]

Well said..

[@rahulpal2490]

You made my day.

[@emiriebois2428]

This is called brain-drain , not a very good thing for India

[@DrMeikoHayakawa]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Joke

[@aliimran2485]

Hu Shih, who was the vice-chancellor of Peking Universityduring the Chinese Revolution "has written that India has culturally controlled and dominated China for more than 2,000 years without sending a single soldier

[@CA213FAN]

Cannot be chance that wherever Buddhism flourishes back then, those countries are usually rich in culture and economy. Unlike other religions that brought destruction and death.

[@KanishkaSharma05]

@@CA213FAN All "religions" that come under Indic fold were like that. Never spread with sword and brought peace, prosperity and knowledge both phosophical and scientific.

[@hamzahaidar2084]

Actually both the civilisation were advanced and shared their culture with each other and there are many examples like the chinese were first to create ink, silk, etc and shared it with indians same goes with the indian

[@infinityxtanishq8712]

@@hamzahaidar2084 Chinese were the first to create silk/ink but they did not share them , the secret to making silk was so well guarded that those found leaking it should be given capital punishment

[@hamzahaidar2084]

@@infinityxtanishq8712 yeah the recipe of silk was hidden but ink and paper werent for example koreans and japanese used to use the same ink and paper as the chinese used and the ink that was used by the indians during the medieval india which was named as india ink by the Britishers was actually the melted form of chinese ink stick

[@_gossipgirlxoxo]

I'm Tamil but I never heard of this guy. This channel is more informative than the current History textbooks at school. I'm really glad that I found this channel. Binge-watching Odd - Compass tonight!

[@callmebymyname643]

He is incorrectly telling about Bodhidharma

[@_gossipgirlxoxo]

@@callmebymyname643 He's taking about Bodhisena, not Bodhidarma

[@pankajsheoran9429]

You can thank them communists for those school books.

[@SamDy99]

Yeah.. that's because you folks are so busy worshipping Rajnikant. Stupid

[@ppgamerbucket3364]

Are u Russian?

[@sacheinc5014]

guys im from madurai, being a tamil also someone who loves japanese culture, i found this video fascinating! thank you for making this video! means a lot. Love from tamil nadu

[@OddCompass]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pragadeshkumar7588]

@@OddCompass Do a video on BODHIDHARMA, he was also a hindu monk from pandya nadu, who thaight zen and shaolin culture to china!.

[@ThamizhanDaa1]

தமிழர்களின் பெருமை நம்மளுக்கு தெரியவில்லை நண்பா

[@sacheinc5014]

@@pragadeshkumar7588 dude bodhidharma was from pallava nadu present day kanchipuram

[@sacheinc5014]

@@ThamizhanDaa1 ஆமா நண்பா, தல தளபதிணு சண்டை போடுறத விட்டு எல்லாரும் நம்ம முன்னோர்கள் யாருணு தேடி படிக்கலாம்

[@Sangeychhonjin]

Lots of love from Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India 🙂🙏💜

[@WildsDreams45]

Thank you for covering Indian history. I'm not Indian but I know almost nothing about India until now.

[@WildsDreams45]

@youuu tube I am your father.

[@kalanaherath3076]

Omg this is like the Avatar's journey around the nations to learn all the bending arts lol

[@sundaravigneshe9318]

ROFL 🤣

[@chilliam00]

LMFAO 🤣

[@nlol2863]

I mean “avatar” is an Indian word lol

[@SARUJAN5]

As a Tamil myself I never knew about this history 😂. Can't wait to show this video to my Japanese gf

[@OddCompass]

Haha, would be interesting to see her reaction!

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Has your marriage been arranged yet?

[@SARUJAN5]

@eldarmario presario she loves it

[@SARUJAN5]

@@Ggdivhjkjl with her yes.

[@kayalvizhi7611]

The amount of racism in this response thread 😐😐😐

[@bhantechandima]

Tamils contributed to both Buddhisms immensely. Buddhadatta, Buddhaghosha and Dhammapala were great contributors for Theravada Buddhism equally

[@acharya8959]

Indians. Let's keep it that way. Many of the greatest Buddhists are Brahmins and Buddha himself was called one. If I were to say that Brahmins contributed, you noobs will be pissed off. So, let's stay grounded please.

[@Alion369]

Ravan was a brahmin and he was a tamil ! So I don’t see ur point you racist

[@Alion369]

Indians !!! Just tell the names of all the languages only in south india ? You cant right ? It isa subcontinent for a reason ....

[@uzochiokeke4328]

yes tambhrams brought buddism to japan are you happy? :)

[@An_ony_mous]

@@acharya8959 I am a Brahmin but don't discriminate, it's 21st century.

[@yashwanthms6910]

Oh.. India and Japan have a strong historical connection ! I didn't know that before. Thankyou for the video (ありがとう🙏 நன்றி)

[@sancsk]

That japanese first letter is similar to Tamil letter க (ka) I think that Japanese letter sounds - AA

[@acharya8959]

@@sancsk 😅 Let's not get ahead of ourselves

[@deakksyy]

@@sancsk even my buttholes sounds like that, thanks for noticing

[@sauceontoes3457]

@@sancsk it is also similar to क so it doesn't explain anything

[@lll2282]

@@sancsk tamilians gotto insert their language and nose in everything apparently they dealing with inferiority complex 💀

[@nikhilkay1]

I thought he would already have million subscribers at first looking at the quality of videos. Then I looked at the subscribers numbers , SHOCKING!

[@OddCompass]

Haha, we'll get there eventually :)

[@dodoraptor8387]

This is also what I thought. The captivating historical facts and the high quality of the animation. This channel deserves a lot more subscriber

[@earlysda]

It's shocking that 27,000 people listen to the farcial information on this channel.

[@tyetc192chetanmore5]

It takes time but will get there soon

[@ragulankamalalogine249]

I'm Tamil and I understand his feelings. Who can resist komi-san

[@aravindkm2012]

Wathaaaaa

[@forbiddenworld5463]

Lol komi-san😂

[@trulyharsh]

Tamil?? and what about being an Indian first??

[@aravindkm2012]

@@trulyharsh Are you still in school?

[@omkr0122]

I hope Komi San gets an anime soon!

[@WiseSilverWolf]

Cool stuff, I always wondered how Indian religion had spread to the far east.

[@mitonaarea5856]

The concept of "India" didn't existed back then

[@RB-fn8sw]

@@mitonaarea5856 India is a foreign name. It's Bharat.

[@skgupta563]

@@mitonaarea5856 bro India too existed that time It's was bharat for us Hindustan for persians and arabs India for greeks These are different names used by different people around the world for our subcontinent. And these names existed from way before the Christianity destroyed pagans of Europe and Islam destroyed literally every civilization in east.

[@Dhksksjjsjjs]

Bharat actually. India is new nation

[@user-kt3jn7wx5f]

@@skgupta563 Hindu word is also mentioned in our Scriptures.. it's not a foreign name at all🙏🙏

[@Skmax673]

Due to hard work, dedication and strong will of ancient Buddhist monks Buddhism and message of Buddha flourish in many Asian countries. 🙏🏻❤️💐🌺🏵️

[@Skmax673]

No.

[@Skmax673]

@marsh mellow India, Yes I am a Buddhist.

[@Skmax673]

@Jagruti Nag Hinduism and Zoroastarism are not a part of Abrahamic religion. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are Abrahamic religions.

[@jkid4855]

Yes. But apparently Indians don't care about that.

[@Helping_handz]

@@jkid4855 we hate indian Buddhists they are not Buddhists but follow ambedkar we call them bimta

[@GiridharVC]

Thanks for doing this video. It was a total revelation for me when I went to Nara a few years back without any idea of what I was getting into. Being a huge fan of the Buddhist, Hindu and Japanese Culture, apart from being Tamil myself - the Nara Todaiji temple museum was easily my best experience.

[@OddCompass]

I loved Nara, and for much the same reason. I've been twice now -- gorgeous place. If you get a chance to go back, I'd recommend doing the trek to visit Bodhisena's temple (where he lived and taught) just outside of Nara.

[@GiridharVC]

@@OddCompass Thanks, I never knew. Will check it out next time I plan to visit. Would be great if you can also cover how communication happened in ancient times. For example, I struggled to order in a restaurant despite google translate etc. How did, for example, Bodhisena communicate with the Chinese and Japanese people at a time when linguistic translation was so very nascent

[@acharya8959]

Indians first. Most of the greatest Buddhist thinkers are Brahmin. If I were to flaunt that, I'd be wrong. So, let's stay grounded shall we? Superiority complex is unbelievable.

[@GiridharVC]

@@acharya8959 there’s nothing to flaunt or feel superior about here. I was also pleasantly surprised of seeing the Ashoka chakra in the same todaiji temple :)

[@naveengokarla9518]

@@acharya8959 he did not flaunt anything imao

[@TheMohammadDanish]

Never knew about this monk. Such a great story. Indian govt should include this in our books and both govts should collaborate to pay a tribute to him. Probably Bollywood can make a historical epic on his life.

[@sangharramesh]

but they will not make movie about it because they are busy making ugly and dirty worthless meaning movies and this isn't something they like.

[@RB-fn8sw]

Lol they won't. They're too busy trying to come up with ways to whitewash r*pists, druggies and a certain gentleman in Karachi won't allow it.

[@yashmandilwar8904]

There's already a Tamil movie 7aum arivu

[@Jumpoable]

Bollywood will completely botch the aesthetics of Nara period Japan as well as Tang China. LAWL.

[@sundarrajan1185]

@@yashmandilwar8904 That movie is about Bodhidharma while Bodhisena is the monk discussed here

[@heanglee]

This is really fascinating!! Great storytelling!

[@OddCompass]

Thanks -- I'm glad the story came across well!

[@the_miracle_aligner]

Im so over Rick and Morty now, Would rather binge seasons of Gyoki and Bodhi instead haha. "Bhodi!!!(Burppp) we have to complete the eye opening ceremony and save Japan Bodhi!!!"

[@OddCompass]

Lmfao

[@girishshenoy7406]

Prima inteneris parte Omnae vitae intuebar, Erant plantae, aves, saxa et res.......... Amazing song dude love it

[@Krishnan172]

Never heard about Bodhi Sena. Thanks Bro. Learned a new thing.

[@OddCompass]

Glad I was able to reveal some new history!

[@tomwaldenberg6952]

Loved learning about Bodhisena. But this video has it all! Dudes getting murdered by GHOSTS! It would be fascinating to learn more about the smallpox epidemic in Japan and how losing 1/3 of its population changed the course of its history (especially given what’s happening in 2020).

[@OddCompass]

Thanks! Yeah, the smallpox epidemic is so interesting - it’s actually shocking how transformative it was for their society. 2020 lookin like 738CE lol

[@faithlesshound5621]

It probably changed the power balance between the nobility and the workers and peasants, as it did in Europe, since the former still wanted to be waited on hand and foot but there were fewer people to do the work. The "market" would have matched supply to demand by increasing wages.

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

this video is full of ridiculous lies , stupid, LOL!

[@AlcvinRyuzenRamos]

That was really great! Thanks! I love Daianji...I will have a deeper appreciation the next time I visit, and will make sure I offer prayers to Bodhisena!

[@OddCompass]

Have fun! I have spent a lot of time in Osaka/Nara area, and love it as well :)

[@PratikParija]

Wow, this is fascinating. I had no idea there was such direct influence by an Indian monk. I thought it was always an indirect influence coming from China & their adoption of Buddhism. Well made video & well explained. Cheers!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you! Yes, it's a really unique and surprising story -- as soon as I discovered it, I knew I had to do a video :)

[@PratikParija]

@@OddCompass Good thing you did. Now you are enlightening thousands of others!

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

youtube is full of malicious and ridiculous liars including this one , so stupid, LOL, this monk did NOT EVEN EXISTED ! so stupid, I am part REAL japanese and part REAL Korean and I can assure you 10000000000% that this video is full of rubbish ! stupid, LOL

[@POTATOSOOPS]

One of the best historical youtube videos I've ever seen. I really learned a lot. Bravo.

[@OddCompass]

Thanks!

[@DB-MH11]

Now we want someone from Japan to come to India and teach us some lessons in productivity 🙂

[@sangharramesh]

Not to us but to you

[@theyoungcorrespondent5746]

@@sangharramesh keep your ego aside, we do need that lesson for sure😂

[@sangharramesh]

@@theyoungcorrespondent5746 maybe because you think everyone is just like you 😛

[@sangharramesh]

@@theyoungcorrespondent5746 those people are so productive that they are able to live their life what is the meaning of that much productivness everything should be in level not Much not less family friends love work.

[@Ferario1990]

@@sangharramesh The Japanese might seem too stiff as a people, but the advantages of their work ethic and dedication is obvious to anyone who cares to look. We Indians also have such masters who dedicated themselves to an art or a craft and produced marvels never seen before or since by dedicating their whole lives to that one thing that makes them special. Whether it be poetry, music, art, architecture, medicine, philosophy, or even food. Some Indians are definitely certified masters of their crafts. But unlike the Japanese, We Indians can't boast that a lot of our people are seeking to excel at something. We tend to be far more laid back and lazy, and a majority of the population, especially today, would rather not travel the hard path to excellence if we don't have to. Sure, being lazy means being more ingenious to some degree, but overall, due to all the distractions of the modern world, we are less likely to have more people who dedicate themselves to something than we would have in the past. But keep in mind, we have a far larger population than Japan, so overall we should still have a higher number of notable people than them. I just hope that more people will find something useful to do with their lives.

[@TheApsodist]

Keep doing what you're doing :) this is the best history channel on youtube for non western history! Hoping to see you cover Java and Eastern Indonesia :)

[@bhuvaneshs.k638]

India has influenced many nations.... Without any killings. 🙏

[@Arya01201]

Unlike middle east and turks

[@extrapolate]

India is amazing ❤️

[@husainihussin8756]

Without any killings? Are you sure about that?

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

youutbe is full of ridiculous and malicious liars including this one , LOL, so stupid ! I am par REAL korean and part REAL japanese and I can assure you 1000000000% that this monk did NOT EXIST IN ancient japan ! in ancient japan we NEVER SAW PEOPLE OUTSIDE FAR EAST , stupid , HE IS NOT EVEN IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS . Buddhism came to japan via china/korea 600 years later !

[@user-kg6ks3lt9y]

It's all because of wisdom of Buddha

[@savin1999]

Finally, I get to see amazing Indic history videos in a format which can make many non-readers of Indian history understand it and even make them interested to read more.

[@none5349]

And he is the father of anime and hanime.

[@omkr0122]

Father of anime is Osamu Tezuka

[@kalakritistudios]

🤣🤣🤣

[@kalakritistudios]

Ah, I see. You're a man of culture as well.

[@kapilrana5075]

This channel is so underrated..i would suggest that he should make videos not on just those stories which are not that much known in india but also which are super famous..

[@natashadandavati4904]

Really interesting video, and I love the illustrations! Great job!

[@OddCompass]

Much appreciated!

[@keisanchannel1858]

😊Thank you from 🇯🇵. Watching history through a person’s life is great. I love this fun & informative video.

[@snkk3458]

How I never came across this channel before? I love how informative this video was without offending anyone or anything. Sub'ed. ❤️From India. Ps: I am a follower of Buddhism. And the teaching change as the time changes. And I really enjoyed going back in time and learning about it. Thanks.

[@OddCompass]

Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying the content :)

[@Jumpoable]

Interesting. What sort of Indian Buddhist are you? (Tibetan/ Japanese zen/ Taiwanese esoteric? Pan-denominational? LOL)

[@sjiz]

The research, the history, narration! Wow, I have stumbled upon gold! Kudos....

[@Bshsikska]

Respect to Japan always 🇮🇳

[@aravindkaliappan5351]

I believe Bodhisena not only taught Sanskript but also Tamil at Nara

[@aravindkaliappan5351]

@pavan Might be. My comment is not related to which language is lingua franca of Buddhists. I just mentioned the fact that in addition to Sanskrit, Bodhisena also taught Tamil at Nara. Wikipedia Reference Link : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisena .(under Life in Japan Section). To tell facts, I don't think we need to like or not like anything.

[@wassilywsky6333]

@pavan Understand the comment first, it's not about lingua franca of anyone.. Do you think that using fancy words would let you pass off for a smart ass?.. Haha how dumb

[@kabil3037]

Bro avara tamila dhan teach panirukaru.. hirogama ve tamil dan bro

[@parthsharma2455]

@@aravindkaliappan5351 be it the chola empire or tamil monks most of them spread Sanskrit because it was the language in which most of the scriptures were written that time there was a huge respect for Sanskrit by great tamil people like the great conqueror Shri Rajendran Chola and people like bodhisena tamil was a language used for talking to each other

[@aravindkaliappan5351]

@@parthsharma2455 I just simply stated a fact that "Bodhisena not only taught Sanskript but also Tamil at Nara" and shared a link from Wikipedia page to show it . If you found a proper source that claims otherwise. Please share , I will check it and will change my opinion. Coming back to your comment : Your claim that " Tamil was a language used for talking to each other" is completely wrong. Tamil had its own literature and Tamil people had their own grammar, poems and way of life derived from those literatures. Quote from Wikipedia again with link : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language " A recorded Tamil literature has been documented for over 2000 years.[15] The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca. 300 BC - AD 300.[16][17] It has the oldest extant literature among Dravidian languages.[11] The earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and 'hero stones' date from around the 3rd century BC.[18][19] More than 55% of the epigraphical inscriptions (about 55,000) found by the Archaeological Survey of India are in the Tamil language.[20] Tamil language inscriptions written in Brahmi script have been discovered in Sri Lanka and on trade goods in Thailand and Egypt.[21][22] The two earliest manuscripts from India,[23][24] acknowledged and registered by the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 1997 and 2005, were written in Tamil.[25] " Cholas did use Sanskrit to some extent but their main patronage was Tamil. It is during their time many of the great poets and their works in Tamil literature got developed. Some of the great tamil poets are Kalladanar, Kambar, Pugalandhi, Ottakoothar, Sekkilar, Avvaiyar, Thirutakkadevar. Literary styles like epics, parani, kovai, ula, kalambakam, pillaitamil and new works on grammar were famous during the chola period . Tamil was the medium of education for the masses. source : www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Chola_Dynasty If your comment is based on the premises that "tamil was a language used for talking to each other", I can not agree with your comment. You are claiming things without knowing the history of Tamil. If you feel any of sources that I shared does not hold ground, Please feel free to share your sources. Happy to see them and change my opinion. All languages over the course of years get influenced by other languages and they develop and change over time. All languages are great in their own way. So don't make any false claims about one or other.

[@micheleringingbells]

This is my first time watching; Love it! I’m living/working in Japan and this content is “must know” history for us here. Many Thanks! I will share💕

[@OddCompass]

Awesome -- thank you! I lived in Malaysia for 4+ years, and traveled to Japan extensively during that time -- loved Osaka/Nara (and Kobe). I highly recommend visiting Nara if you haven't had a chance to visit yet!

[@rajeshroshan2877]

What a journey that must've been a millennia and more in the past, from India to Japan.

[@OddCompass]

Indeed!

[@saurabhdwivedy3442]

Amazing video! Keep working hard. I will tell about this channel to my friends too

[@OddCompass]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the share - enjoy the channel!

[@vineethvish11]

Bodhisena becomes Bodi Santa when you switch on the subtitles _noice_

[@user-kt3jn7wx5f]

😂😂🙏🙏

[@duffyissokwl]

Great video I love the sophistication of its simplicity and your excellent delivery, thank you very much for your work

[@senguptasthiti]

All of your videos are so accurate, well studied and researched . Kudos !!

[@braunarsch]

very interesting! You know, there are many youtube videos showcasing the similarities between the japanese, korean and tamil languages, perhaps this could be attributed historically to bodhisena :) anyways, awesome stuff dude!

[@OddCompass]

That would certainly be interesting! I'm not sure what the current theories are (regarding the linguistic commonalities), but I suspect they may be even older than Bodhisena's visit! Thanks for watching :)

[@zenad5996]

Also I love crt's Mr braun

[@ElangoCheran]

The Japanese connection to Tamil language and culture actually goes back another 1000 years further in the past. See the joint research by Ohno Susumu, Shammugadas, and Manonmani Shanmugadas. The story starts around 500 BCE

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@OddCompass uP

[@mitonaarea5856]

There's no connection between jp and korean to Tamil...

[@nope7220]

Dn bro this is so Interesting ... Much appreciated 💙

[@OddCompass]

Thanks!

[@SendPie42069]

Amazing, straight forward to the point educational, you have a good voice for this too, thanks for teaching those too lazy to read!

[@rajrikhy4149]

Very interesting...love the visuals. Subscribed!

[@OddCompass]

Thanks Raj! Spent way too much time in Adobe Illustrator and After Effects...

[@saiyagneshch8872]

Your channel is really underrated man! Loved your videos! Subscribed.. ✌🏻

[@OddCompass]

Thank you!

[@user-qx4sk3ud6n]

Wow Really proud that my Tamil ancestors was good in sailing through East Asia ❤️

[@ramdevdirector6653]

He is a tamil brahmin

[@user-qx4sk3ud6n]

@@ramdevdirector6653 why you're mentioning it as Brahmin ??? He is an Tamilan that's all

[@ramdevdirector6653]

@@user-qx4sk3ud6n but tamil people hate then and they call them as vantheri why

[@user-qx4sk3ud6n]

@@ramdevdirector6653 they will won't understand it ....... If a tamilian follows brahmin , it doesn't mean that he is vantheri or non tamilian by meaning that Brahmin is a tradition followed by north indians ...... Even we Tamils celebrate Deepavali (which is not even a Tamil festival) can we say that all Tamils are vantheri then ?? ..... If he is born in Tamilnadu , mother tongue is Tamil , automatically he is Tamilian regardless of what he is following Brahmin or other things

[@ramdevdirector6653]

@@user-qx4sk3ud6n hope u understand but most of the DMK sombu won't understand 👍 thanks for not falling in DMK prey

[@Stone_624]

This is one of the coolest historical stories I've ever heard (As someone who's lived in Japan for 6 years now). I'm not a history buff, But I do find these kinds of tales fascinating.

[@Theamanhanda]

You are exceptional and exceptional at selecting the topics

[@indujan]

Underrated channel

[@user-tn4nr5hm6u]

Wow. Wonderful video. Thank you so much.

[@OddCompass]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

[@ramana1958]

This is huge💪 am from madurai

[@thetruereality2]

I did not much about Bodhisena, thank you for sharing this.

[@abhinavsirohi]

Excellently explained India Japan relationships

[@OurLordandSaviorSigmar]

Here's my subscription. Great video! Looking forward to your channel's growth!

[@OddCompass]

Much appreciated!

[@lucaskanyo]

Ça fait du plaisir connaître tout ça. Merci!

[@developerAKX]

Love from India, bihar, vaishali where the Buddha delivered his last sermon and announced his Nirvana . After his death, Vaishali also held the second Buddhist Council.

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

LOL, so , stupid, this video is full of ridiculous lies and this monk did NOT EVEN EXISTED , so stupid, youtube is full of malicious and ridiculous liars including this one !

[@keerthichandra376]

Please please keep making these wonderful videos with such excellent content. Please make more people know about the unknown. It baffles me how a person as inclined and prominent as Bodhisena is not a big name in the books of history. Publicised History does need a rewrite!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you so much! I agree that someone like Bodhisena should be better known 👍🏽

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

youutbe is full of ridiculous and malicious liars including this one, LOL, SO STUPID, and I am part REAL japanese part REAL korean and I can assure you 100000% that he did NOT EVEN EXISTED ! stupid, LOL

[@debukarchowdhury8611]

Great history lesson. Thank you

[@OddCompass]

You’re welcome!

[@adityakarkera747]

Thank u for making this video.

[@OddCompass]

My pleasure 😊

[@yaleyoon6856]

Good video on early Japanese Buddhism! Oh yes and this period is ancient Japan not medieval. The "medieval period" in Japan is considered to be the takeover of the military samurai period from the late Heian period from the 12th century. The Nara is when Japan really began as a country, its early history

[@OddCompass]

Interesting! I normally consider 700CE-1500CE to be medieval, but I suppose it's true that the era can vary depending on the country.

[@yaleyoon6856]

@@OddCompass Oh yes those dates are kind of Euro-centric but tbh a lot of countries outside of Europe did actually start their own "medieval period" (or post-antiquity/ancient/classical might be a better term?) around those years 700-1500 AD but Japan is not really the case as its history began relatively later than others, so the history up to the late 12th century (the beginning of military rule or shogun) is considered antiquity/ancient/classical for Japan. There aren't any universal dates (or, at least there shouldn't be any) for world history when ancient, antique, or classical times began and when the period after that began. It depends on the country and/or region. Thanks for replying! I was surprised to get a reply so fast! Didn't even expect any b/c this video is a year old

[@OddCompass]

@@yaleyoon6856 Thanks for the wonderful explanation. It's nice to hear a different perspective. And no problem! I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel as well :)

[@nobody-ye5rk]

Wonderful thread got to know a lot! Thanks to you guys.

[@CatCcat.]

You deserve more subscribers dude.

[@ankokunokayoubi]

"try it" "no" "try iiiiittttt"

[@walterwhite8229]

Ah, a fellow man of culture.

[@POTATOSOOPS]

"we could make a religion outta this"

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Okay

[@debendranathmukherjee5721]

Wew... OK so all are bill wurtz subscribers here lol... me too...

[@debendranathmukherjee5721]

And as for u I am learning the kanjis rn... so reading ur name in the kanas made me feel satisfied... Thank god finally I was able to read something and make sense of it... hehehe

[@finalstation]

Wow this was such a great video I never knew this piece of history.

[@OddCompass]

Thanks!

[@spectacledpikachu6391]

Good job explaining man! You gained a subscriber :)

[@shadoww4818]

I always wondered about the connections between India and Japan. Obviously Buddhism made it's way through China and Korea to Japan but there's also a lot of other connections. Even in Shinto certain kami such as Inari were given mounts to ride on to put them more in the style of Hindu gods. Why did the Shinto elite feel the need to make such a connection to a foreign religion when Shinto often was either merged with buddhism or kept separate as a uniquely Japanese religion.

[@nikhilsharma26500]

not only that, pretty much like Hinduism, followers of Shintoism too believe that God resides within us and in nature. Shintoism has this unique concept of Tori gates that are considered sacred and you have to bow down before entering it while in Hinduism you have a gate at the beginning of the temple with a bell attached to it and you have to ring the bell and then either bow down or greet the god before entering. There are so many similarities between Japanese and Indian cultures but the disconnect between Indian and Japanese people really makes me sad.

[@yashagrawal88]

@@nikhilsharma26500 These 2 similarities are very generic, they can be found in many religions.

[@ultraboy3195]

@@nikhilsharma26500 We are pagans that's all

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

LOL, youtube is full of malicious and ridiculous liars including this one, so stupid. this monk did NOT EVEN EXISTED , such as ridiculous lie, in ancient japan,NO ONE HAD SEEM PEOPLE OUTSIDE FAR EAST, stupid !

[@deltacs4934]

I learned a lot from this video about my country.....

[@tusharpapnai2907]

thansk for the amazing work

[@OddCompass]

My pleasure!

[@ExistentialDodo]

Nice video! and surprisingly good pronounciation of sanskrit words.

[@takenbythewindNdrivenbythesea]

Fantastic information, I never know this until I watch this video. Thank you very much for this great information. I just subscribe your video. Keep up the great job 👍🏻

[@OddCompass]

Thanks for watching, happy to have you as a subscriber!

[@VivekSahay]

How did Indian buddhist monks who travelled to china communicated and taught and preached the locals in the native chinese language? Like wise how did the same group communicated when they went to Japan? I am always amazed about how did all this teaching took place?

[@subathrakala7264]

And when we notice we see that Buddhist monk don’t speak much .

[@EustaquioSantimano]

Learnt something new today !!

[@neelpatel3844]

Loving your videos, hoping you soon reach 100k subscribers and beyond!

[@OddCompass]

Thanks Neel -- I hope so too!

[@Jumpoable]

Thank you once again for your in-depth scholarship & educated insight. Always wanted to know more about Buddhism's socio-political role in East Asia (as opposed to the usual cultural & spiritual aspect). Please do some on Buddhist culture/ history in Eastern Han > Tang > Song > Yuan > Ming China & its relationship with Daoism if your research extends towards that area! Harih OM.

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

You are really teaching me the stories of my own country which I probably will never have heard of otherwise. I know Roman history, the world wars and but not of my own country. Simply awesome 👍

[@dss6838]

ICSE?

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

@@dss6838 State board

[@dss6838]

@@sourabhmayekar3354 I don't know which state you are studying in. Yes religion based history is not taught to us. But I guess state board has simplest curriculum, hence they skip details. I learnt in state board, we were never taught roman history. Little bit of world history was there, and medeival ancient history. Along with freedom movement. Oh, you will learn so much in history, you have lifetime of it, and it won't be enough. Good luck on your journey in history. School curriculum is never enough to learn history. I read it as a story book, never feels burden to study it.

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

@@dss6838 na, you took it the wrong way. I meant history in this minute detail about the old kingdoms was never taught. Roman history is what I could find everywhere on KZbin. Indian history, not so much.

[@dss6838]

@@sourabhmayekar3354 oh yes that's correct too.

[@yoursubconscious]

this is interesting Thanks for the lesson.

[@balajiLILG]

I am from Madurai and currently living in the city :D

[@isaacbakan1295]

I like your videos. Frankly we learn a lot about how people with lighter skin influenced the cultures of people with darker skin but not so much the other way around.

[@user-jt3dw6vv4x]

@eldarmario presario The Eastern world has been interacting with each other for thousands and thousands of years, long before the Europeans arrived in Asia. Indian cultural influences on Japanese culture came via Chinese and Korean influence on Japan. These ideas of "exoticness/mysteriousness" may have existed in the early days but through constant interaction, that mysterious nature wouldn't have existed. Japan itself has its own concept of "Asia" known as "Sangoku" during the ancient days which placed China (Kara), India (Tenjiku) and Japan (Honshu) as the three main civilisations in eastern/southern Asia. Also, not to be pedantic but if we go back all the way to the pleistocene, then we'll see that darker skinned East Eurasian groups emerged in Asia and spread south into India, the rest of South Asia and Southeast Asia (providing part of the ancestry that makes up the genetic makeup of modern-day South and Southeast Asians). These groups were known as the Ancient Ancestral South Indians, Hoabinhians and Negritos and all came from the same clade. There was also another group that emerged from the same clade that these darker skinned groups came from. They were an ancient ancestor to the Jomon (a comparatively dark skinned group who settled in Japan and Siberia) who intermixed with the lighter skinned East Asian looking Yayoi from the mainland to produce modern-day Japanese people.

[@gouthamkrishnan6718]

What is the relationship between skin colour and intelligence?

[@NoName-km5op]

@@gouthamkrishnan6718 same same same same doubt. East asian always involves everything with look.not generalising but from my point of view

[@crante8357]

Bodhisena to Japan is what Bodhidhamma to China 🙏🙏🙏

[@sbharatvaj4408]

Bodhidharma to china

[@316jun]

Good stuff. Subbed

[@rohanxdavis]

I come back to this video often. 🙏🏾

[@SkandanKA]

Old Compass, Please make more and more videos like this👌🙌

[@ryzensingh7801]

there are shrines In Japan where you'll see Sanskrit scriptures written on walls 👌

[@nowwhat6716]

It's more like Pali language which is cousin language of Sanskrit.

[@ryzensingh7801]

@@nowwhat6716 if you're talking about SEA then yeah but places like china,japan and Korea you'll find Sanskrit. In Japan you'll see Sanskrit written using (siddham script).

[@navaratnamratnajothi5444]

TKNR.THANKS FOR THE INFORMATIVE HISTORY.EDUCATIONAL.

[@Kncperseus]

As a Hindu, I believe Buddhism is the only religion which spread truly peacefully. As in, no Crusades, no warfare, nothing.

[@sadasivamvisvanathan9739]

Dude, did you even watch this video. 😂

[@MK-yj7pn]

How do you think Hinduism and Jainism spread

[@1shu]

All indic religions promote non violence and peace. It was only Abrahamic religions like Christianity and Islam who conquered other countries to spread their religion as they believe their religion is the only true one.

[@cvenkat7766]

No crusades, no violence, no jihad , no inquisition.

[@Kncperseus]

@@sadasivamvisvanathan9739 Did you, "Dude"?

[@abhishek_sikarwar]

Thank you for making a video on this ignored part of our history.

[@OddCompass]

Thank you for watching!

[@acpatel9491]

I always wondered about the spread of Buddhism in Asian countries. Not much historical material is available in India. Thanks for sharing this info. It's fascinating and inspiring. I am Hindu but I look at Buddhism as a part of Hinduism. Nicely narrated, please keep up the good work.

[@sunnyday1sunnday1sunnysunn96]

LOL, this is so stupid ! youutbe is full of ridiculous and malicious liars including this one ! so stupid ,I am part REAL korean and PART real japanese and I can assure you that he did NOT EVEN EXIST and in ancient japan, people only had seem far eastern people ! stipid

[@anadasingh3456]

It very similar to the way that Buddhism spread in Tibet.

[@ManjuYadav-my4le]

Informative channel 👍

[@OddCompass]

Much appreciated!

[@winniethepooh3717]

Sharanam Budham Gachami. Very accurate video, cheers from India. 🙏

[@mihirp9546]

Love ur channel! What videos are you planning on doing next?

[@OddCompass]

Thanks! I'm tossing around the possibility of a short video on the settlement of Madagascar (by tribal voyagers from Borneo in SE Asia!), or possibly even a video about the Kakatiya warrior-queen, Rudrama Devi. It's difficult to choose haha.

[@thivagarperumal9314]

History of Malaya please. Who are the locals in Malaya? How it become multiracial in Malaya?

[@OddCompass]

Interesting idea for a video!

[@Alex-gg9go]

U deserve millions of subs

[@rtgfromfuture]

Hey man! I enjoy your videos a lot. Would love to know more about how you do your research for these videos. Also, a suggestion, if you put Hindi subtitles in these videos, some of us could use these videos in our classrooms for our students.