When the Sasanians fled Iran and reached China and Japan

After the fall of the Sasanians, the children of Yazdegerd III and a group of Persian nobles took refuge in Central Asia and China, and for decades sought to reclaim Iran. A study titled "The Last Sasanians in Tokharistan, China and Japan," based on Chinese, Japanese and Pahlavi sources, shows that these survivors not only established a short-lived rule in Tokharistan, but their presence and artistic traces also reached Japan.

According to ambassador Arjan; When we talk about the end of the Sassanid Empire, most of us remember the Battle of Qadsiya, the defeat in Nahavand or the tragic death of Yazdgerd III in a mill near Merv. But a question is rarely heard: what happened to his family after Yazdgerd?

A research by Hamidreza Pashazanos and Ehsan Efkende called "Sasanian return to Takharistan, China and Japan" deals with this question. By rereading Chinese, Japanese, Pahlavi and Islamic sources and using archeological findings, the authors show that the end of the Sassanids was not the same as the death of the last king. His children and nobles sought to recapture Iranshahr in Central Asia and China for decades. There are also signs of the presence of Iranians and the influence of Sasanian art in Japan.

After the defeat in Nahavand, Yazdgerd III fled from one region to another for years. He tried to unite with the local rulers and Iranian nobles and regain the lost power. The authors remind that the three major battles, Qadsiyah, Nahavand and what happened in Merv, are usually considered the end point of the Sassanids. For this reason, historians have paid less attention to the efforts of the family's survivors.

When the Arabs took Pars around 650 AD, Yazdgerd had to flee to the east. He was not received very warmly in Sistan. The local border guards were more worried than hopeful with the arrival of the elusive Shahi from the victorious Arab army. He went to Khorasan and then fled to Ferghana and Sogd. In the meantime, Mahwi Suri, the Marzban of Meru, collaborated with the Heptali ruler of Badghis. The ruler of Heptali is known as Sagittarius. Yazdgerd was defeated by them and was killed in a mill near Merv in 651 AD. But the story does not end here. The survivors of his family took a path that was unprecedented in the history of Iran until that time.

Citing Chinese sources, including the "New History of the Tang Dynasty" and the encyclopedia "Fu Yuan Gui", the authors show that Yazdgerd sent envoys to the Chinese court in the last years of his life. One of them apparently reached China in the 630s. The goal was clear: Yazdgerd wanted to get military help from Emperor Tang.

The first envoy arrived in China around 638 to 639 AD. The second envoy was sent around 647-648 AD and apparently, at the same time, part of the royal treasures were also sent to China. Masoudi mentions two sons named Bahram and Pirouz and three daughters. Emperor Taizong did not send military aid due to the great distance from Iran's borders.

After Yazdgerd's death, his son Pirouz, who was called "Bilusi" by the Chinese, sought help from Emperor Gaozong, the third emperor of Tang. The emperor did not accept his request either; But the winner did not despair. He went to Takharistan in the north of today's Afghanistan and took refuge there.

Chinese sources say that the Emperor of China entrusted him with a region called "Jiling" around the year 661 and called him "Commander-in-chief of Persia". The name of the city in the Chinese text that is available today has similarities with "Zherang" or Zerang, the center of Sistan. Some researchers, including "Harmata", considered Jiling to be the smart one and said that Pirouz formed a government in Sistan with the support of China.

The authors of this article do not agree with this hypothesis and give several reasons:

1. Linguistic reason: Linguistic evidence shows that the phonetic change necessary to transform "Zarang" into "Jiling" is unlikely in Western Iranian languages. In addition, there is no reason that the local name of Sistan was transferred to the Chinese officials.

2. Logistical reason: Sistan was very far from the western borders of China. No source mentions China's involvement in Sistan's military events.

3. Numismatic reason: Coins minted in the name of Pirouz have been found in the east of Iran. Some have thought that these coins indicate his rule in Sistan. On the other hand, Toraj Seaman and others see them more as a sign of an effort to legitimize. The authors of the article remind that minting coins in one's own name was common in ancient Iran to strengthen legitimacy.

Finally, the authors assume that Jilingcheng was located in Takharistan. Their reason is that Takharistan was part of the Western Turkic Khaganate at that time. With the defeat of the Western Turks by the Chinese around 658 AD, it seems that the Emperor of China handed over Takharistan or a part of it to Pirouz.

Signs in Pahlavi and Islamic texts

In Middle Persian texts, there is no direct reference to Pirouz's attempt to recapture Pars. However, in the 18th chapter of "Bandesh", it is mentioned that Yazdgerd's son went to "India", gathered a large army and dispersed before reaching Khorasan. Mariya, quoting Abu Rihan Biruni, reminds that "India" can refer to Takharistan in some Islamic sources. Balazri also says that Pirouz settled among the Turks of Takharistan and married a woman of Turkish nobility. These evidences, at least in the analysis of the authors, paint the picture of a small and fragile kingdom in Takharistan. This kingdom was the refuge of the Sasanians, and Pirouz and his son Narsi hoped to return from it. It is stated in Fu Yuan Gui that ambassadors from the kingdom of Persia came to Chang'an many times until 772 AD, and many researchers consider this kingdom to be Takharistan.

The victorious rule over Takharistan was not long. When the Arabs attacked the region, he could not resist and returned to China around 674 AD. This return was not the end of his career: he went to Central Asia again and then back to China. Emperor Gaozong received him warmly and gave him the title "General of the Great Left Guard".

One of the interesting points of this era is the construction of an Iranian temple in the capital of China. According to the book "New Reports of the Two Capitals" written in the 8th century AD, Pirouz got permission from Gaozong to build a Persian monastery in Chang'an (modern day Xi'an).

Pirouz died around 679 AD. His headless statue still stands in front of Gaozong's tomb near Xi'an. The Chinese inscription on the pillar of Gaozong Tomb calls the victor "King of Persia" and at the same time "Great Commander". The authors say about these two titles that apparently the Chinese emperor had given Pirouz the title of military commander, not the title of the kingdom of Iranshahr. Such a title provided legitimacy for the Tang court in the newly acquired lands.

Narsi, the victorious son, continued in his father's footsteps. The Chinese commander Pei Xingjian put him on the throne in Takharistan. The reports tell of two goals: to return the Sasanian prince to Iranshahr and to defeat the Khan of the Western Turks who was allied with Tibet and Kashgar. Pi Shing Jian Khan surprised and defeated the Turks, but did not achieve the main goal and left the Persian prince alone in Takharistan.

Narsi stayed in Takharistan for about twenty years and fought with the Arabs. When his strength and financial resources were depleted, he left Iranshahr and returned to the Chinese court. He was given the title of Guard Commander in China. His statue is next to his father's statue.

Pirouz and Narsi were not the only ones in China who were looking for the recapture of Pars, several other key figures also had this plan in mind.

One of them was Bahram, the brother of Peroz and a Persian nobleman. The authors examine a large stele called "Alohan" found near Luoyang and erected in 718 AD. According to this inscription, Alohan was a member of the Sasanian royal family, who was respected by the Chinese emperor. He did two important things: he went to the west as an envoy, probably to conclude an alliance with the Byzantine Empire, and he built an important building in China. It is also said about the recapture of Iran that the Tang court made him responsible for this work.

Another interesting point is "Zand Vehmen Yasen". In this Pahlavi text, there is talk about a king named "Bahram Verjavand" who appears with Indian and Chinese troops and reestablishes the religion. Researchers such as Cherti, Springling, and Komparti believe that this character may be a reference to Bahram, the son of Yazdgerd. The authors consider this hypothesis probable, but they say that he did not succeed in what the Iranians expected from him.

Khosrow is also another face. In Chinese sources, he is recorded as "Ju-Lu" and according to some reports, he was Yazdgerd's grandson. The authors say that since there is a gap of nearly seventy years between Yazdgerd's death and his appearance at the Chinese court, he was more likely to be a great-grandson or one of the next generations. He also went to China around the 720s and fought with the Arabs in the army of Khan Turk.

Names that disappeared from history

The authors mention the names of two Persian kings who are mentioned in "Fu Yuan Gui". One of them is "Bo Shanhuo" and according to the writers, he was the son of Narsi or the same name of Perez. The other one is "Mu Shanu" who came to the Chinese court around 736 AD and became a general.

After 736 AD, the name of no Sassanid claimant appears in Chinese historiography. The authors conclude that apparently the Iranians and Sassanids of Takharistan were completely defeated by the Arabs at this time. However, a few Sasanian nobles remained in China for a while. Their situation changed after around 755 to 763 AD, with the rebellion of "An Lushan" and then with the decrees of the ministers, and the support of Changan Iranians disappeared.

The second part of the research is about Japan. The question is, did Iranians and Sasanians reach Japan?

The ancient text Nihon Shuki (History of Japan), which was compiled in 720 AD, says that around 654 AD some men and women arrived in Japan from the land of Tokhara. In 657 AD, during the reign of Emperor Saimei, two Tokhari men and four women whose ship had been wrecked were found on the bank of Tsukoshi. A ceremony was held for them at Asoka Temple. It is suspected that "Tokhara" is the same as Takharistan.

Considering the presence of the Sassanids in Takharistan, the authors suggest that some Sassanid survivors may have gone to Japan. The same text also mentions a Persian man who left his Japanese wife and returned to his country. It was against the customs of a Japanese princess to marry someone outside her caste. Therefore, it is possible that the man was one of Sassanid nobility.

There are also literary signs. In the oldest collection of Japanese poetry, Maniusho, there are two pieces that have Zoroastrian elements. The Japanese researcher "Ito" considers an unknown word in these poems to be Iranian "mąθra-dahma", which means "Knower of the Holy Word". He also says that the description of the passage of the cloud over the moon and the stars in those poems is reminiscent of the journey of pious souls in the three-legged ladders of heaven in "Zadesperm Selections". The authors consider this as a sign of the influence of Sasanian culture and religion in Japanese literature.

The most reliable Iranian evidence in Japan is archaeological findings. The Shōsuin Treasury, attached to the Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan's first capital, contains objects that represent Sasanian art. This treasure was presented to the temple in 756 AD by Empress Kumyo in memory of her husband, Emperor Shomu.

Among these objects is a white crystal cup with round edges. Similar cups from Ankan have been discovered in Osaka and sites in Kyoto and Kyushu. The technique of making and decorating them is very similar to the glass cup from Gilan that is kept in the Museum of Ancient Iran. A cloth in Shoswein is also similar to the Sasanian cloths of Gilan. Another example is the "pearl circle" motifs that were popular in 7th and 8th century Korea, especially in Gyeongju, to decorate the roofs of palaces. Trees, birds and even a griffin (a mythical animal with a lion's body and eagle's wings) can be seen in these roles.

Therefore, the influence of Sasanian art in the far east of the Silk Road is certain. Researchers consider at least two ways in this regard: trade transfer through the Silk Road and the direct presence of Iranian immigrants in the fields.

What is proven and what is not?

In summary, the authors of the article draw some conclusions:

After Yazdgerd, Pirouz and a group of Persian nobles took refuge in the Chinese court. Chinese and Japanese texts and inscriptions, along with Pahlavi and Islamic sources, are the first written evidence about them.

Jilingcheng, where the victor established a "government", was most likely in Takharistan, not Sistan.

Takharistan was a Sassanid refuge until 736 AD and maybe until the end of the 8th century. They still hoped to recapture Iranshahr.

Names like Bo Shanhuo and Mo Shanu are probably among the last Sassanid claimants in Takharistan.