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The Asuka Period
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The Asuka and Nara Periods
Prince Shotoku
Essential Question
Who has power in society? How do they maintain (or hold) power?
Prince Shotoku supported the spread of Buddhism. He built temples, and placed Buddhist ideas into national laws.
He also supported art and science. He brought inventors from Korea and China and sent Japanese representatives to China in order to study and bring back information to reform Japan.
Language, Philosophy, and Religion were transformed through contact with China.
Taika Reform
The Taika reforms were established by Emperor Kōtoku in the year 645. These reforms were influenced by Chinese practices.
Laws related to lands and titles were changed to take power from clans and give it to the emperor.
Taxes spread to harvests of silk, cotton, thread and other items.
Japan was divided into provinces headed by governors appointed by court (made of districts and villages)
The Asuka Period
The Nara Period
Japan was ruled by powerful clans, or close-knit families.
Out of worshipping ancestors, came the oldest religion of Japan: Shinto, or the Way of the Gods.
In 522 Buddhism entered Japan (entered China 500 years prior). Mahayana Buddhism had gentle gods and immortality in the form of an afterlife.
Empress Suiko (r. 593-628) was merely a figurehead for the prince regent Shotoku Taishi who ruled from 592-621 (29 years) as regent.
A regent is a person who rules a country for someone
The Japanese written language was established and the first works of literature were produced.
In 710, the first permanent capital was established in Nara and became Japan’s first urban center
Families in the court continued fighting for power and in 784 capital moved to Kyoto (North of Nara)
Mix of Buddhism and Shinto where Buddha was identified as the Sun Goddess
Empress Koken (r. 764-770) brought many Buddhist priests to court. She retired, then took back the throne and deposed the emperor. Many believe she wanted to make a Buddhist healer the next emperor, but she died before she could act.
Her actions shocked Nara society so that they excluded women from imperial succession and removed Buddhist priests from positions of political authority