Abstract
Kukai was permitted to reenter the capital after his return to Japan, and three years later, in the eleventh month of 811, he took up residence in Otokuni-dera _??__??__??_at the command of Emperor Saga. In the tenth month of the following year, Kukai sent Emperor Saga some mandarin oranges that grew in the precincts of the temple, along with a letter and a Chinese poem preserved to us. This was the first Chinese poem Kukai wrote to Emperor Saga.
This paper examines the classical inspiration of the letter and Chinese poem, qiannian yisheng hui _??__??__??__??__??_, and seeks to analyze how Kukai saw Emperor Saga. Also, the style, structure, even and uneven tones, and rhyming of On Presenting Mandarin Oranges _??__??__??_??_ is analyzed, as this poem became the impetus for new developments in the relationship between Kukai and Emperor Saga.
The phrase qiannian yisheng hui means “encountering a sacred ruler once in a millennium.” Kukai speaks of Emperor Saga as such a sacred king in his On Presenting Mandarin Oranges.
