mabi

Updated: May 13, 2025

In Japan he was raised to the high rank of asomi, and ultimately became minister of the Right during the reign of Shotoku. *Generally spoken of as "Kibi no Mabi," and credited by tradition with the invention of the katakana syllabary. Such incidents speak eloquently of the respect paid in Japan to mental attainments and of the enlightened hospitality of China.

F. (Frank) Brinkley - A History of the Japanese People : From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era