12.3 Border States: Sogdiana, Korea, and Japan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Discuss the rise of the kingdoms of Sogdiana, Korea, and Japan
• Explain how long-distance trade along the Silk Roads influenced the growth of border states like Sogdiana
• Describe the cultural influence of China on the states of Korea and Japan

Sogdiana, in modern Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, traded both with the Chinese and, increasingly in its long history, with other nomadic peoples such as the Turks. The Chinese, in turn, influenced both Korea and Japan. Both already participated in oceanic trade, but the additional benefits of the Silk Roads’ interchange of ideas came to Korea and Japan through the Chinese as Koreans studied writing, Confucianism, and Buddhism in China and brought back the ideas and methods that suited them best. These innovations and ideas then spread to Japan, especially Buddhism.