Japanese/History

Throughout history, Japan received a great deal of cultural influence from Korea and China. The marks of this cultural exchange include the use of chopsticks, the Chinese writing system (known as Kanji today) and Chinese-style poetry as well as the Buddhist faith. Ot all periods of Japanese history, however, influence from mainland Northern Asia was at its most intense during the transition between the Asuka (or the so-called "late Yamato" period) and the Nara periods. These periods were named as such after the sites to which Japanese monarchs moved their capitals upon ascending to the throne (cultural belief held that the residence of the previous incumbent was made impure by death). It was in this way that the first permanent capital was established by Empress Gemmei at Heijokyo (present-day Nara), in 710CE, ushering in the beginning of the Nara period.

The Western Wind
Early Japan was also known as Yamato, named after the warrior clan which through alliances or suppression of other clan rulers, emerged to found the first Japanese state which is ruled by the very same family to thiis day. The Yamato state was centered at the southern region of today's Japan.

In 587CE the Soga clan managed to install one of their own as Emperor within the Yamato State. Hitherto, the Soga clan had been the most powerful of all the aristocratic clans (besides the Yamato who now ruled as absolute monarchs) but Soga no Iname, then serving as Great Minister, made the decision to gain greater power by marrying his daughters off to the Imperial family. The Soga administration was also susceptible to the influence of foreign ideas, particularly Buddhism, which had been introduced into Japan by the Korean kingdom of Baekjae between 538 and 562CE, much to the anger of its rivals in government, particularly the Nakatomi who were staunch Shintoists. The motivations for these innovations are still debated today — were they adopted by the Soga out of a genuine belief in their usefulness to Japanese society, or were they adopted cynically in order to suppress the rivals of the Soga — particularly the Mononobe and Nakatomi clans, who then were involved respectively in military administration and court ceremony.

Regardless of what the Nakatomi clan felt, Buddhism and the influence of Sui China was to stay, particularly after the ascension of Prince Shotoku Taishi as Imperial Regent.

Rising Sun: Shotoku Taishi
""From the Son of Heaven in the Land of the Rising Sun to the Son of Heaven of the Land of the Setting Sun.""

- Correspondence of Prince Shotoku Taishi with the Sui Imperial court of China

By 644CE, the Soga clan was not content with being the Imperial family's right hand. Its leader, Soga no Emishi, and his son, Iruka, built palaces more impressive and larger than those of the Imperial family to assert their influence. This so angered the

The Japanese also began to assert themselves on equal footing with the Chinese at this time. The Japanese Emperor addressed an official correspondence to the Chinese Emperor with the greetings, "From the Son of Heaven in the Land of the Rising Sun to the Son of Heaven of the Land of the Setting Sun." It was at this time that Japan began to refer to itself by the name "Nihon", which means the sun source or from which the sun rises, from which the westernized named Japan is derived from. This move was greatly resented by the Chinese. Chinese influence however still continued to play a large influence on Japanese culture and infrastructure, and the Soga continued to model their nation within those guidelines. While influences by way of Korea was extinguished. It would however mark the time when Japan no longer accepted a subordinate position to the mainland powers.

With threats of a Chinese invasion, Prince Naka and Nakatomi Kamatari (later to be awarded the surname Fujiwara for his service to the imperial family), seized control from the Soga clan in 645 A.D. They instituted wide reforms in law and land ownership, to gain greater control over Japan, and break the power of clan and hereditary landowners and reorganized the country into provinces. Japan saw several Empresses during this time but from 770 A.D. royal succession was restricted to males henceforth.

In 710 A.D. the Nara period began when the capitol was moved to the city of Nara. It was customary in Japanese culture to move the Capitol after the death of an emperor, as it was believed that the death polluted the old capitol. Nara was styled after the Chinese Tang dynasty capitol of Chang'an. Nara became a thriving urban and business center, however the provinces began to decline. In order to address this local administration of the lands began to take hold over central land control. Universal conscription began to fall out in favor of local militias

Exxcess stuff
Greater exchange between Japan and the mainland also occurred during this time, with the introduction of Buddhism, and government and cultural models based on Chinese Confucianism into Japan, including the adoption of the Chinese written language. Japanese rulers also began to establish a toehold on the continent at the southern tip of Korea. They sought confirmation of royal titles with the Chinese, and in turn the Chinese recognized Japanese control over these parts of Korea.

Near the end of the Kofun period in