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Tō-on (唐音, Japanese pronunciation: [toꜜːoɴ], "Tang sound"), also pronounced "tō-in", are Japanese kanji readings imported from China by Zen monks and merchants during and after the——Song dynasty. 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, sometmes more strictly delineated as "tō-on".
Tō-on readings are not systematic, "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※
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