井上靖《敦煌》
日本文坛巨匠、芥川龙之介奖得主井上靖于1959年在讲谈社首次出版长篇小说《敦煌》。井上靖（1907—1991）一生27次访问中国，曾到新疆、甘肃等地实地考察，著有以西域为题材创作的《楼兰》《敦煌》《丝绸之路诗集》等作品， 其中《楼兰》《敦煌》在 1960 年获得日本“每日艺术大奖”，并有多个中译本。《敦煌》讲述了宋仁宗天圣年间，书生赵行德进京赶考，却因瞌睡错过了考试，前往刀兵四起、黄沙漫天的敦煌，命运由此发生了剧烈的转折。一块写有西夏文的神秘布片，牵引出北宋书生赵行德一路踉跄的人生。小说以西夏占领敦煌前后为历史背景，采用了敦煌藏经洞封闭为“避西夏之难”的说法，将主人公与敦煌藏经洞封闭之谜联系到一起。
无数读者从这部小说开始关注中国西部并踏上前往敦煌的漫长旅程。井上靖对中国文化的感情至为深厚，他通过《敦煌》对人生和历史寄予了独特思考，对中国史传文学的叙事模式亦有秉承和借鉴。1988年，为纪念中日邦交正常化十周年，由佐藤纯弥担任导演，改编自这部小说的中日合拍同名电影《敦煌》上映，该片当年即荣获第12届日本电影金像奖最佳影片、最佳导演和最佳男主角奖，成为中日友好交往的重要见证
Inoue Yasushi's Dunhuang
Japanese literary master Inoue Yasushi (1907-1991), a recipient of the Akutagawa Prize, authored the novel Dunhuang in 1959, which was published by Kodansha. Yasushi visited China 27 times throughout his life, conducting field research in regions such as Xinjiang and Gansu. He is known for works inspired by the Western Regions including Ro-ran (Lou-Lan), Tonkō (Tun- huang), and Silk Road Poetry Collection. Both Ro-ran and Tonkō won Japan's Mainichi Art Award in 1960 and have several Chinese translations.
Dunhuang recounts the story of Zhao Xingde, a scholar during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty. On his way to the capital for the imperial examination, Zhao accidentally sleeps in and misses the exam. His journey leads him to the war-torn and sandy lands of Dunhuang, where his fate takes a dramatic turn. A mysterious piece of cloth inscribed with Tangut script leads him through a series of misadventures. The novel is set against the historical backdrop of the Tangut occupation of Dunhuang and connects the protagonist's story to the mystery surrounding the closure of the Dunhuang Caves, which were said to have been sealed to escape the threats posed by the Tangut.
Countless readers began to focus on western China and embark on the long journey to Dunhuang through this novel. Inoue Yasushi had a deep affection for Chinese culture, and through Tonkō (Tun-huang), he expressed unique reflections on life and history while inheriting and referencing the narrative patterns of Chinese historical literature. In 1988, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, a Sino-Japanese co-production film titled Tonkō (Tun-huang), directed by Junya Sato and adapted from this novel, found its way to the big screen. The film won the Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor awards at the 12th Japan Academy Prize, becoming an important testament to the Sino-Japanese friendship.
