East Asian cultural sphere and international relations in the Nara periodThe Tang Dynasty, who took over from the Sui Dynasty and unified China in 618, built a large empire and controlled a vast territory in East Asia, exerting a strong influence on the neighboring areas. Policy to expand farmland and ritsuryo kokkaIn order to maintain a highly systemized bureaucratic organization, ritsuryo kokka codes needed stable revenue from taxes. The coins were used to pay costs involved in building the capital, such as construction workers' wages. Others who carried out social works include Dosho (founder of the Hosso sect) who was Gyoki's teacher and said to have built Uji-bashi Bridge, the Empress Komyo who established Hidenin and Seyauin to give relief to poor people, and WAKE no Hiromushi who brought up a large number of orphans. The Waka are not only by famous poets and court nobles, but also many poems showing unassuming sentiments of local farmers such as azumauta (poems in ancient Japan in the dialect of the eastern region) and sakimori-no-uta (poems by soldiers deployed for boarder defenses) and many of the latter are excellent ones which appeal to human sentiment. The Heian period (平安時代, Heian jidai) is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185.The Heian period is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature.The name heian is a word that means "peace" in Japanese.. History . This system granted permanent ownership of rice fields (with certain restrictions) to any person who applied to their kokushi (provincial governor) for permission to carry out reclamation within a specified time period. Soon, the monk Dokyo came onto the scene having successfully won the favor of the Retired Empress Koken. Immediately after the disturbance, the Fujiwara clan succeeded in making a daughter of Fuhito, Komyoshi (Empress Komyo), the first retainer to become Empress. Japan: The Nara period (710–784) In 710 the imperial capital was shifted a short distance from Asuka to Nara. 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 the strict sense, it lasted only 74 years from 710 to 784 when the Emperor Kanmu transferred the capital to Nagaokakyo. The Nara period ended in 794 CE, when the seat of government and capital city was moved to Heian-kyo, today the city of Kyoto. The government deployed large-scale troops and subdued the revolt. In contrast, for the "Nihongi (Nihon Shoki)," composed of 30 volumes and a roll of genealogical chart, compiled and offered to the emperor in 720, KI no Kiyohito and MIYAKE no Fujimaro in 714 selected accounts from provincial historical literature from the mythological age to the Empress Jito, and then Imperial Prince Toneri and his assistants edited the work. However, it did not work as motivation for farmers to reclaim rice fields and thus it did not progress as expected. This followed the form of history books of China and was presented in the Chinese way using chronological order. The Heian period (平安時代, Heian jidai) is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. From around 724, Emperor Shomu, whose mother was the daughter of Fuhito, FUJIWARA no Miyako, as well as four Fujiwara brothers and sons of Fuhito, FUJIWARA no Muchimaro, FUJIWARA no Fusasaki, FUJIWARA no Umakai and FUJIWARA no Maro appeared in the political world. Japan did not have the economic resources to support a miniature version of the Chinese empire. The Emperor Konin did not belong to the line of the Emperor Tenmu but he was a descendant of the Emperor Tenchi. In the 8th century, many technologies and cultural aspects of neighboring China were brought to Japan. From Nagaokakyo to HeiankyoIn 784, the Emperor Kanmu constructed a new capital (Nagaokakyo) in Nagaoka in Yamashiro Province in order to free himself from the influence of temples and shrines which had been getting more and more powerful. and "Manyoshu. In 727, Balhae sent an envoy to Japan asking for diplomatic relations in order to cope with Tang and Silla, and became a vassal to Japan. You are using an out of date browser. The period was preceded by the Asuka Period of Japan. In 729, the four brothers of Fujiwara slandered Nagayao, who had been promoted to sadaijin (minister of the left) as 'endangering the nation with the ways of the left' and forced him to commit suicide (an event known as Nagayao no Hen), grasping the reins of government. Construction of daibutsu commenced in Shigaraki no Miya Palace. From 740 to 745, however, the Emperor Shomu transferred the capital to Kunikyo (Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture), Nanbakyo (Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture) and Shigaraki no Miya (Koga City, Shiga Prefecture) although each one was only capital for a short time. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Relation with Tang dynasty in ChinaKentoshi (Japanese envoys to Tang Dynasty China,) starting with INUGAMI no Mitasuki in 630, were dispatched roughly once every twenty years in the Nara period. However, resistance by Ezo in the Tohoku region became stronger as seen in the revolt of 780 by KOREHARI no Azamaro in Mutsu Province. The End of Peace. Around 762, OMI no Mifune selected and presented Chinese-style posthumous names for emperors in the past. Though the Nara period political system continued to exist as the outward, official form of economic control, in reality there was a return to the old Asuka style uji and be. 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. Thus, the southern part of the Tohoku region was gradually incorporated into the ritsuryo system. 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. Interaction with Korean Peninsula was also very active. The Late Yamato period came to an end with the establishment, in 710, of a capital at Nara, then called Heijo. 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 the world of Waka, many poets such as YAMANOUE no Okura, YAMABE no Akahito, OTOMO no Yakamochi and OTOMO no Sakanoue no Iratsume appeared one after another from the Wado to Tenpyo era. 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. were established and the subjection of Ezo (indigenous inhabitants in eastern Japan), development, and implantation were carried out (as described above). Special products such as yakogai (turban shell, lunica marmorata) and bishop wood (Bischofia javanica), which were used as materials for handicrafts, were brought from Minami-jima Island in return for iron wares. 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"). Choose from 53 different sets of nara period flashcards on Quizlet. Transfer of the national capital to Heijokyo and Tachibana shisei (bestowing of surnames)According to the 'Imperial Edict for Transferring the National Capital to Heijokyo,' the new capital was '方今、平城之地、四禽叶図…' and '四神相応の地' was chosen. It was mainly revision of words and clauses and its basis was Taiho Ritsuryo, however its enforcement was delayed until 757, under the leadership of FUJIWARA no Nakamaro. So they made Heijo-kyo resembled Chang’an. However, outside of the area around Fujiwarakyo and Kinai, trade based on material currencies such as rice plant and cloth was widely conducted. Why did the Nara Period End? 'These were local reports which were composed of descriptions of local products, natural features such as mountains and rivers as well as their history and legends as told by old people. 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