The year was 733, the Nara Period. Emperor Shomu dispatched the 9th envoy to Tang Dynasty China on a mission to invite a ranking Buddhist Priest to come to Japan to transmit the sacred Buddhist Precepts. Toward this　 end, Ganjin, one of the highest Buddhistmasters of the period who was conveying his Buddhist teachings at Da Ming Si temple in China's Yangchow City, was presented with this request. Despite the fact that at that time, the voyage to Japan was synonymous with life-threatening risk, he replied, “For the sake of Buddhism, how can I begrudge my life?”He immediately consented.

Ganjin's sojourns of suffering thus commenced. His first five voyages met with fierce gales and successive shipwrecks, one of which forced him to drift to an isolated island where he spent an entire year before being reluctantly repatriated. These initial five attempts all ended in dire failures. However, he remained undeterred and sustained the challenge. Then finally, after the passing of a dozen more years, in 754, his sixth voyage proved successful, although the violent vicissitudes of the journey cost him his eyesight, and the loss of his favorite disciple at sea. It can thus be understood just how perilous such a trip was at that time. Having finally fulfilled his long cherished desire, Ganjin succeeded in getting to Japan. An ordination platform was constructed at Todaiji Temple on which the Emperor, and in turn, the Imperial Family and various priests received the Buddhist Precepts. In 759, Toshodaiji Temple was founded. The disciples were taught in its lecture hall, and Buddhism spread widely across Japan through Ganjin's concerted efforts. Even having lost his vision, he zealously continued to transmit the Dharma, and in so doing effected a deep connection between Japan and China.