Fujiwara no Tsunetsugu

In 833, Emperor Ninmyō named Tsunetsugu the Imperial ambassador to China, with Ono Takamura his deputy.

The principal aims of the mission was trade - books, art, and luxuries (such as perfume) were in high demand.

Prayers at the Shintō shrine at Kitano were ordered in an attempt to ensure the success of the expedition.

However, adverse weather conditions damaged the ships and forced the mission to unsuccessfully return to Japan.

In 839 the expedition successfully reached China, after stopping in Korea to charter Korean ships, known to be of better quality than those made in Japan.