Tō-on or tōon (唐音, English: /ˈtoʊ.ɒn/ TOH-on; Japanese pronunciation: [toꜜːoɴ], "Tang sound"), are Japanese kanji readings imported from China by Zen monks and merchants during and after the Song dynasty, as a form of on'yomi (音読み). This period roughly corresponds with the mid-Heian to Edo periods of Japan. During the Muromachi period, they were referred to as sō-on (宋音, "Song sound"). Together, they are collectively known as tōsō-on (唐宋音).
Scholars divide tō-on into two groups: those brought by the Rinzai and Sōtō schools of Zen during the Kamakura period, sometimes referred to as sō-on, and those brought by the Ōbaku and Sōtō schools during the Edo period, sometimes more strictly delineated as tō-on.
Tō-on readings are not systematic,[citation needed] as they were introduced piecemeal from China, often along with very specialized terminology.
Examples of words and characters using tō-on readings include: chair (椅子, isu), futon (蒲団), paper lantern (行灯, andon), Ming (明, min) and Qing (清, shin).
The Ōbaku Zen school of Buddhism uses tō-on exclusively for liturgy.
See also
edit- On'yomi: Sino-Japanese readings
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