－Kobo-Daishi "Twice to China Theory"－ ■　Learning Chinese　■ 　Another question arises here about the Chinese conversation ability of Kobo-Daishi. As to why Kobo-Daishi was able to board a Kentoshi ship so easily, a common conventional explanation has been that he had connections with the central government through blood relationships and that his ability as an interpreter was highly evaluated. This leads to a question about pronunciation of Chinese. The Chinese continent has an immense area, and pronunciation of Chinese drastically differs from one region to another. An interpreter is necessary when Chinese persons from a seaside area and an inland area talk with each other. If we assume that Kobo-Daishi acquired his ability in Chinese conversation during his student days in Nara, it means that he learned the dialect of Fujian, in addition to the dialect of Shaanxi province, where the capital Changan was located, to be able to serve as an interpreter in Fujian province. It seems quite doubtful that Nara provided opportunities for such extensive learning. 　Kobo-Daishi's "letter on behalf of the Ambassador addressed to Fujian Administrative Inspector" cleared the misunderstanding on the part of the Chinese side, which finally permitted the Japanese delegate to embark. This event was briefly mentioned in the Testaments of Kobo-Daishi, leaving its detailed circumstances unknown. Kobo-Daishi's fluency in Chinese was presumably at the level of a native Chinese. The fluency in this case does not only refer to the ability in conversation, but also in maneuvering subtleties in daily life that only native Chinese would understand. At the end of the Greater East Asia War, many Japanese citizens living in Mainland China were in danger for their lives, and some disguised themselves as native Chinese in an attempt to escape from China. 　Only those who lived in the Chinese community for several decades and were completely familiar with local living customs were able to safely escape from the peril. According to an episode from (as I recall) the Japanese-Sino War, a Japanese commissioned officer engaged in covert reconnoitering of the enemy's movements was discovered to be a Japanese spy because of the different way he washed his face. 　This episode demonstrates that, in a state-to-state relationship a millennia ago, communicating one's true identity and intent requires such degree of familiarity with the language and people of Chinese. Even in modern times, one can easily imagine that a similar situation could happen when he/she runs into an aggressive tribe somewhere in an Amazonian jungle, even if he/she has been learning the language of the tribe in Japan. 　In comparison, Kobo-Daishi appears to have been quite calm and under control when he wrote the letter to the administrative inspector. This kind of self-control would not be gained by learning Chinese from books. Only those who acquired the skills in Chinese through living in a Chinese community would be able to attain it.  　When the ship drifted ashore at the Fujian province, Kobo-Dashi probably could casually talk with fishermen working on the shore and curious villagers. He presumably spoke Chinese as freely as natives and even understood some dialects. That was why, in the face of suspicion of an illegal entry, he was able to persuade Chinese officials into believing that they were duly authorized Japanese delegates. How could Kobo-Daishi attain this level of fluency by learning from books in Nara in those days? If one argues that Kobo-Daishi was in ascetic practice in mountains for ten years before traveling to Tang, the possibility would be reduced to negligible. The truth would be that, after Kobo-Daishi discovered Dainichikyo at Kume Temple, he soon found that further research to solve questions was impossible in Japan and crossed to the continent via Korea or using a trading ship. 　Kobo-Daishi was able to go on board in a Kentoshi ship as an interpreter despite the astronomical difficulty of the selection test, not only because he had an outstanding ability in Chinese conversation, but also because he had strong connections in China. 　If we assume that Kobo-Daishi was actually in China during the "blank decade of Kukai," it would be reasonable to look for some literature or legends in China that evidence the existence in China of a Kukai-like person before his official voyage to China in a Kentoshi ship. For example, I recall that a Japanese missionary who crossed to China as a religious explorer before World War II talked about the legends of Kukai handed down in various areas in China in those days. These legends remained in areas far away from the course followed by Kukai to reach Changan.  　I intend to publicize the literature found in China later at a proper time, but anyway, it is an undeniable fact that legends of Kukai remained at many places in Mainland China until the pre-war period.  　Why did Kobo-Daishi hide from his followers the fact that he was in China until immediately before the boarding on the Kentoshi ship? In the Testaments of Kobo-Daishi, the words spoken by him when he was greeted by Keika Ajari for the first time have been handed down to date: "I have waited for a long time." 　Kobo-Daishi might have chosen to leave a legendary myth that would be passed down by his followers over one thousand years, like the enigmatic smile of Mona Lisa. "I have waited for a long time" are the words of greeting spoken to an acquaintance, not to a stranger. When uttering these words, Kobo-Daishi might have been recalling the sky of Changan and his youthful memories there and imagining the day when someone revealed the meaning of the enigmatic words.　　（Unfinished）