Nara Period

(710–784) Period of Japanese history during which the emperor resided in Nara. The capital city was modeled on the capital of Tang-dynasty China, Chang'an, from whom the Japanese borrowed extensively in this period.

Buddhism, which had entered Japan a little more than a century earlier, rose in popularity, and many temples and statues were commissioned. The Chinese writing system was introduced and modified by the Japanese (&see; Japanese writing system), allowing two official histories and the earliest Japanese poetry collections to be produced. The Taihō Code, adopted officially in 701, was based on Chinese law, and the Chinese equal-field system of land distribution, though no longer rigorously enforced, continued to remain in effect. The imperial state extended its frontiers to include southern Kyushu and northern Honshu.