The Nara period takes its name from the site of Heijô-kyô in present day Nara, which served as the imperial capital from 710 until 784.
This period continued to witness the importation and adaptation of Chinese and Korean imperial and religious culture. It saw the expansion of Buddhist influence at the court, and both the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki were completed in the early Nara period. The period also saw the rise of the Fujiwara family, as well as the incorporation of southern Kyushu into the Japanese state (parts of Tôhoku would remain outside the Court's control into the 9th century, and beyond).
The capital was relocated to Nagaoka-kyô, a short distance north, in 784. The chief impetus for this is typically cited as being a desire to escape the growing political influence of entrenched Buddhist institutions, including Tôdai-ji and Kôfuku-ji.
The Imperial Court remained in Nagaoka for only ten years, however, before moving to Heian-kyô (i.e. Kyoto). As a result, these ten years are generally included by historians into the Nara Period, prior to the start of the Heian Period in 794.
History
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| Previous Period Asuka Period |
Nara Period | Following Period Heian Period |
References
- Conrad Schirokauer, David Lurie, and Suzanne Gay, A Brief History of Japanese Civilization, Wadsworth Cengage (2013), 30-43.