The Nara period started with the establishment of a new capital for the Imperial Court. "five provinces and seven circuits," the name for ancient administrative units), the whole region was divided into kinai (provinces surrounding Kyoto and Nara), the 'seven circuits' of Tokaido, Tozando, Hokurikudo, Sanindo, Sanyodo, Nankaido and Saikaido, which were divided into 66 provinces and two islands, Iki Province and Tsushima Province. Therefore in 743, the government led by TACHIBANA no Moroe enforced Konden Einen Shizai Ho aiming to promote reclamation of rice fields. However, outside of the area around Fujiwarakyo and Kinai, trade based on material currencies such as rice plant and cloth was widely conducted. In response, Ezo started a revolt in 709 and 720 and, in 720, KAMITSUKENO no Hirohito, who was the Mutsu no azechi (Inspector of Mutsu), was killed. From a political history viewpoint, the period can be divided into three: the Early Stage from the transfer of the capital to Heijokyo in 710 to Nagayao no hen (conspiracy of Prince Nagaya) in 729, the Middle Stage from the arbitrary exertion of power by four brothers of the Fujiwara family to the rebellion by FUJIWARA no Nakamaro in 764, and the Later Stage from administration by Dokyo and the Empress Koken (also known as Shotoku) onwards. Shoen were mainly Yusoden, which were rice fields subject to taxation, and known as shoki shoen (literally, shoen in initial stage). He was promoted to udaijin (minister of the right) and flaunted his power. Later, ri was changed to go. In September, the Empress Genmei made an inspection of the site of Heijo and appointed 17 officials including the chief of zoheijokyoshi (office for construction of Heijokyo). In those times the tea was used as a medicine and only available to the rulers and noble families. So they made Heijo-kyo resembled Chang’an. Rise of BuddhismIn the Nara period, Buddhism developed thanks to protection by the government as well as the ideology of Chingo kokka and Hoe (Buddhist mass) and prayers to protect the nation were often held. In the beginning of the Heian period, the Balhae envoys had completely transformed to the extent in 824, FUJIWARA no Otsugu, who was udaijin (minister of the right) commented 'These men are merchants, so do not treat them as diplomatic envoys. Relation with Small empire of eastern barbariansJapan, included in this group of small empires, had a system of ritsuryo kokka, where the emperor was in a position comparable to the emperor of China and Japan had an imperial structure in which Japan was regarded as the center of the world, similarly to Tang. Silla built a castle (毛伐郡城) in 723 to prepare for a Japanese invasion and, Japan temporarily installed a setsudoshi (military governor) to strengthen armaments. In 770, at the end of the Nara period, Emperor Shotoku passed away and Emperor Konin, a descendent of Emperor Tenchi, ascended the throne although he was already around 60 years old. OMI no Mifune and ISONOKAMI no Yakatsugu were famous as poets of Chinese poems representing the middle of the Nara period, and although it is inferred that one of them was involved in editing of "Kaifuso," there is no definite evidence. The move was prompted by the rise in power of the local Buddhist temples, which are said to have exerted an undue influence on the politics of this era. In 780, KOREHARI no Azamaro killed KI no Hirozumi, the Mutsu no Azechi (Inspector of Mutsu), and burnt down Taga-jo Castle, spurring endless war thereafter known as Ezo Seito ("The Ezo Conquest"). In 755, when the Anshi Rebellion occurred and Tang was thrown into disorder, FUJIWARA no Nakamaro made preparations for a punitive war against Silla, based on Japan's strengthening relationship with Balhae (who posed a serious threat to Silla). In 716, ABE no Nakamaro (who died in Tang China), KIBI no Makibi and the monk Genbo, were dispatched to Tang to study. ', Relation with Hayato (an ancient tribe in Kyushu) and the southern islandsThe Southern part of Kyushu is an area which maintains unique methods of burial such as underground cave tombs, underground stone slab tombs and burial pits. People in these areas were known as Kumaso in ancient times and, since the middle of the seventh century, Hayato. In order to keep Tang, a factor hindering unification of the peninsula, in check, Silla pretended to obey to Japan until the beginning of the eighth century. In 1232 the Hojo government published a detailed legal code about the duties of … Construction of Heijokyo and Wado KaichinIn January 708 which was the year after the enthronement of the Empress Genmei, the name of the era was changed to 'Wado' (literally, "Japanese copper") after the presentation of copper from Musashi Province and, in February next year, production of coins and construction of the capital commenced. Under the imperial edict, Rushana daibutsu of Todai-ji Temple was constructed and completed in 752, and a big kaigenkuyo (ceremony to consecrate a newly made Buddhist statue or image by inserting the eyes (thereby investing it with soul)) was held in the presence of the Empress Koken and the former Emperor Shomu. Oshikatsu initiated a revolt to remove Dokyo in 764 but was defeated and died. One can discover a fragment about these traded goods from treasures in Shosoin. However in addition, because Fujiwarakyo was constructed in a period when interaction with Tang was disrupted, it seemed to have been designed in accordance with the old book ("Shurei (Rites of Zhou)") and it has no comparable example among capitals of China of the era. Whatever they may have been, for the ritsuryo kokka based on Sinocentrism, Ezo was 'simply a concept of people who were out of their control. The two countries' worsening relationship started to manifest itself in reality. With this, the title of "emperor" which was believed to have been established in the era of the Emperor Tenchi or the Emperor Tenmu (seventh century) were retroactively given to emperors before them. This followed the form of history books of China and was presented in the Chinese way using chronological order. Why did the temple release its treasures and how did they end up at the Asian Art Museum? In this period, many political strifes occurred in the central government and in Tohoku there were never-ending wars with Ezo. Large Buddhist monasteries were built in … Political struggles and fluctuation of the Emperor's powerNagayao no hen and investiture of Komyoshi to the empressAt the beginning of this era, FUJIWARA no Fuhito, son of FUJIWARA no Kamatari, grasped the reins of government and devoted himself to establishing the ritsuryo system and strengthening the foundation of Fujiwara clan expansion through links to the Imperial Family. The Nara government, faced with a country of sixty-six provinces of competing clans, tried to change the Japanese military system by conscripting soldiers. FUJIWARA no Otsugu criticized this war against Ezo, saying, 'The causes of suffering in today's world are military affairs and construction,' and that it had 'played a great role in enhancing the Emperor's political power. How did the Nara Period End? It is sometime assumed that it was moved away because Fujiwara no Miya (Fujiwara Palace) was at a lower level than the area where their subjects lived, and thus subjects could look down the capital. Development of Buddhism was owed largely to the efforts of gakumonso (literally, studying monks) such as Doji (of the Sanron sect) and Genbo (of the Hosso sect) who accompanied the envoys to Tang to study. Major cultural development of the era include the permanent establishment of Buddhism along with the first authentically Japanese gardens built in the city Nara at the end of the eighth century. FUJIWARA no Fuhito played an important role in the transfer of the capital to HeijokyoHeijokyo was built as a national centre of politics, mainly inhabited by officials, on the model of the capital of China, Changan. The period was preceded by the Asuka Period of Japan. Taxes were composed of so, yo, cho and zoyo. At that time, castles and josakukanga (a castle-like facility used as governmental office) were constructed and people called Kinohe, forced to immigrate from Kanto and Hokuriku regions, lived around such castles and josakukanga, and were engaged in farming. Relation with EzoEven today there are various theories as to what kind of people the Ezo were. During Japan’s Meiji period (1868–1912), an upswelling of anti-Buddhist sentiment caused many temples, including Kofukuji, to part with their treasures. The reason why transfer of the capital could be made so rapidly was that many buildings including temples were relocated from Fujiwarakyo. In the strict sense, it lasted only 74 years from 710 to 784 when the Emperor Kanmu transferred the capital to Nagaokakyo. People from Tokaido and Tozando regions were moved to castles and josakukanga and forced to be engaged in farming and defense. In 755, he took over control of the government from TACHIBANA no Moroe and in 757 he ousted TACHIBANA no Naramaro, who was a son of Moroe (TACHIBANA no Naramaro no hen). Prince Katsuragi, who changed his name to TACHIBANA no Moroe as such and Komyoshi (Empress Komyo), who became empress later, were older maternal half-brother and younger maternal half-sister. Kochi Komin system, under which rice fields and people belonged to the nation, was adopted and handen (allotted farmland) was provided in accordance with the family register. It is recorded in the official history of Tang that their thirst for knowledge in particular was so insatiable that some people from Japan sold goods bestowed by the emperor and spent all the money to buy books to take back to Japan. Prior to 645 the capital had consisted simply of the ruler’s palace, and its location changed with each ruler. Japan had increased its diplomatic relations with its powerful neighbours China and Korea , accepted the Buddhist religion , and absorbed some useful cultural advancements. Soon, the monk Dokyo came onto the scene having successfully won the favor of the Retired Empress Koken. Construction work for Heijokyo was carried out in an extremely short time period. However, in the Nara period the Hayato people were merely subject to paying tribute and it was not until 800, after the start of the Heian period, that Handensei (state controlled land allotment) was applied to Osumi and Satsuma Provinces, On the other hand, the present Southwest Islands had already been dispatching envoys to the Yamato sovereignty to pay tribute since the first half of the seventh century. The government continued to manufacture copper coins and, until the issue of the new currency Kengen Taiho in the tenth century, as many as 12 rounds of production were carried out. Buildings in Heijokyo were not limited to Tang style; there were many buildings of traditional Japanese style, warehouses on stilts supported by pillars dug into the ground, with wooden plate floors and hiwadabuki (cypress bark) roofs known as takayukashiki-soko. 'In the middle of the seventh century, ABE no Hirafu and others made expeditions and it is believed that they reached as far as present-day Akita and Tsugaru regions or even further North. In 757, FUJIWARA no Asakari, a son of Nakamaro, was appointed Mutsu no kami (the governor of Mutsu Province) newly building Momonou-jo Castle and Okachinoki Castle in an area which was formerly out of their control. Also, his reporting on culture, power of the nation and the dignity and prosperity of the capital, Changan, of Tang made the government conscious of the large difference between Fujiwarakyo and Changan, which resulted in the decision to transfer the capital. The Nara period might rightfully be called the Shōmu Era, for the capital in Nara during Emperor Shōmu’s reign (reigned +724 to 749) was home to between 70,000 to 200,000 people and covered roughly 4.2 kilometers from east to west and 4.7 kilometers from north to south. At the end of the period, in 710 CE, the capital moved yet again, this time to Heijokyo (aka Nara). The Emperor Konin paid attention to fiscal restraints, for example, by decreasing the number of officials and cleaning up of local administration by strictly controlling kokushi and gunji. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto.It is a period in Japanese history when Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. After FUJIWARA no Tanetsugu, who was responsible for its construction, was assassinated, and Imperial Prince Sawara, the Emperor Kanmu's younger brother, was arrested, a new capital named Heiankyo was constructed and transferred in 794 and the characters from Yamashiro Province were changed from 山背国 to 山城国. Later, the government appointed the chief of Ezo as a gunji (region manager) in order to indirectly control tribal groups, and forced people individually picked out for subjugation to migrate to other countries as fushu (barbarians). The organization of the central government consisted of two departments and eight ministries, danjodai (Board of Censors) and goefu. It is believed that many of treasures from Tang and southern countries currently kept in the Shosoin (treasure repository) were mediated by merchants of Silla. Learn nara period with free interactive flashcards. It contains myths and traditions and stories up until the Empress Suiko and it also recorded a large number of songs. By this, the Emperor Junnin was decrowned and exiled to Awaji. The Kamakura period (1185-1392) saw slender refined blades at first but by the end of this warlike period the blades had become sturdier. Around the end of eighth century, Japanese envoys to Silla were discontinued, but merchants of Silla intensified their activities. In 737, a punitive expedition to Silla was discussed, but due the successive deaths of FUJIWARA no Muchimaro and his three brothers it was not materialized. Japan did not have the economic resources to support a miniature version of the Chinese empire. In December, a ground-breaking ceremony was held and construction work commenced. The Nara Period was also marked by the development of two powerful schools of Buddhism, Tendai and the more esoteric Shingon, and the ascendancy of Buddhism in general. In 699, Mino-jo Castle and Inazumi-jo Castle were constructed and ritsuryo kokka began to apply control backed by military force. In order to prevent government officials counterfeiting coins in order to obtain Ikai (Court rank), any person who manufactured counterfeit coins was punished with removal of official rank and 'zan' (execution by decapitation). Prosperity and decay of Nakamaro's governmentIn the meantime, FUJIWARA no Nakamaro (son of Muchimaro) from the Southern House of the Fujiwara clan, who successfully gained the confidence of the Empress Komyo, accumulated power and organized a Shibi chudai (office responsible for affairs of the Empress Komyo). Nakamaro used the Emperor Junnin as a puppet to obtain autocratic power, changed his name to EMI no Oshikatsu in the Tang style and promoted Chinese-style administration based on Confucianism. Since around the time of the transfer of national capital to Heijokyo, the government adopted a policy of rapid expansion. In this year (708), FUJIWARA no Fuhito, who led the transfer of the capital, was promoted to Shonii Udaijin (Senior Second Rank, Chief of the Imperial Japanese Council of State) and his second wife, Agata no INUKAI no Michiyo, was given the family name of 'Tachibana no Sukune' together with a tachibana (mandarin orange) floating in a cup on the occasion of Daijosai (first ceremonial offering of rice by newly enthroned Empress). It contains Waka from the Nara period (after the reigns of Emperor Jome and Empress Suiko) and the Nara period. Nara PeriodThe Nara period was a period in Japan's history which, broadly speaking, lasted 84 years from 710 when the Empress Genmei transferred the capital to Heijokyo to 794 when the Emperor Kanmu transferred the capital to Heiankyo. Interaction with Korean Peninsula was also very active. Not progress as expected could be made so rapidly was that many buildings including temples relocated... 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