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#07 Tenpyo Culture
Click here to go to the YouTube video Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty were frequently sent to China to introduce advanced systems and culture to Japan. It was during this period that the famous Buddhist monk, Jianzehn, or Ganjin, came to Japan with great difficulty and introduced the precepts of Buddhism. The Nara period was a time of epidemics, earthquakes, and famine. Consequently, the smallpox epidemic that started in 735 was thought to have killed about 30% of the population. Emperor Shomu decided to protect the country with the power of Buddhism, and he built Kokubunji temples across the country and the huge Todaiji Temple in the capital, Heijokyo.…
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#06 The Nara Period
Click here to go to the YouTube video Once the Ritsuryo system was in place, the government built a new capital called the Heijo-kyo in Nara. The 74 years that Heijo-kyo was the capital of Japan, starting in 710, are known as the Nara period. From Heijo Palace, where the emperor resided, a 70-meter wide Suzaku-Oji road ran north to south, dividing the capital into east and west. Markets were set up on the east and west sides, and goods brought from various places were bought and sold using coins. The wooden tablets excavated from the Heijo Palace site show how people lived in those days. Roads connecting the capital…
