In 552, the era of Emperor Kinmei, Buddhism (Mahayana Buddhism) was brought to Japan via the Korean peninsula as Chinese characters were, and Buddhist scriptures came to be copied.
欽明天皇13年（552年）、漢字と同様に朝鮮半島を経て仏教（大乗仏教）が伝来し、仏典の書写が始まる。