Nara Period
During the Nara period (710–794), the Japanese imperial central government was unified, strengthened, and developed through religious ritual and the importation of Chinese bureaucratic methods. Drawing from classical Chinese texts, the penal and administrative codes known collectively as ritsuryo allowed the central government to control the capital and outlying districts through taxation and a network of officials. This period is named after its capital city of Nara, occupied in 710, which was planned and built according to Chinese architectural principles.
Central authority was further legitimized through Japan's two major religions. Shinto, the native religion, traced the imperial lineage back to the sun goddess Amatesaru. This occurred prior to the Nara period when Amatesaru was adopted as the founding spiritual ancestor of the imperial Yamato clan. During this same earlier period, the sun goddess was also accorded a higher rank than the spiritual ancestors, or kami, of all the other Japanese clans. This spiritual shift was gradual, and as Shinto became supported by the state the rulers, in turn, helped shape Shinto beliefs to provide a historic legitimacy to the imperial line.
But it was Buddhism, imported through China and Korea, that received the blessings and support of the state. In part, Buddhist teachings were promoted because they were seen to protect and serve the welfare of the state, and Buddhist priests received official positions and political influence. Just as important, temple building was undertaken with great fervor. The most impressive of these temples is the Todaiji, completed in 752, which houses the massive Universal Buddha Rushana.
In addition to these architectural endeavors are the important literary contributions of the Nara period. The first official anthology of poetry, the Man'yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, c. 759), dates from this period. Two grand imperial histories were also written. The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters, c. 712) details ancient history and origin myths, while the Nihon shoki (Chronicle of Japan, 720) is generally concerned with more current imperial succession and historic accounts.
The conclusion of the Nara period was marked by an imperial decision to abandon the capital at Nara in favor of constructing a new capital at Heian-kyo, modern-day Kyoto. A motivating factor for this move was probably the growing power and influence of the Buddhist clergy.
While Shinto and Buddhism have generally coexisted in Japan, a notable challenge to the imperial line, often referred to as the Dokyo Incident, arose from a member of the Buddhist clergy. Dokyo (d. 772) was an ambitious priest who gained favor with the female emperor Koken (later called Shotoku, 718–770); he was given titles suggesting that he might succeed Shotoku after her death. Although this immediate crisis of succession passed with little incident, it marked a clear challenge to imperial legitimacy.
Further Reading
Bender, Ross. (1979) "The Hachiman Cult and the Dokyo Incident." Monumenta Nipponica 34, 2: 125–153.
Brown, Delmer M., ed. (1993) The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 6: Ancient Japan. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
The Manyoshu. (1965) Trans. by Japanese Classics Translation Committee. New York: Columbia University Press.
Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. (1975) Trans. by W. G. Aston. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle.
Piggott, Joan R. (1997) The Emergence of Japanese Kingship. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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