Tō-on



Tō-on (唐音), 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 "Song sound" (宋音). 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, 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), futon (蒲団), paper lantern (行灯), Ming (明) and Qing (清).

The Ōbaku Zen school of Buddhism uses Tō-on exclusively for liturgy.