Overlord

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Published in Japan - Social interactions and entertainment - 06 Feb 2016 03:25 - 5

The Asuka period (飛鳥時代, asuka jidai), lasting from 538 to 710, was a period in the history of Japan during which the capital was located in Asuka, on the plains near Nara. It lasted from the middle of the sixth century to the beginning of the eighth century, although it could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Asuka period is also distinguished by the change in the name of the country from Wa (倭) to Nippon (日本). The Asuka period is known for its significant artistic, social, and political transformations, which had their origins in the late Kofun period.

The Yamato state evolved considerably during the Asuka period, borrowing systems of political and social organization from China to reinforce the strength and legitimacy of rule by the imperial family. In 603, Shōtoku Taishiestablished a Confucian system of twelve court ranks, and in 604 he introduced the Seventeen-Article Constitution (憲法十七条, Kenpō jushichijō), which clearly established the duties and rights of the ruler, government ministers, and the people. This effort was followed by the Taika Reform (645-649), which established the ritsuryō (律令), a system of social, fiscal, and administrative institutions which prevailed in Japan from the seventh to the tenth century. Buddhism and Daoism were introduced to Japan during the Asuka period, and eventually became syncretized with Japan's native Shinto beliefs. Immigrants from China and Korea brought new artistic and cultural influences to Japan. The term Tori style, after sculptor Kuratsukuri Tori, grandson of Chinese immigrant Shiba Tatto, is often used to describe arts of the Asuka period.

The term "Asuka period" was first used to describe a period in the history of Japanese fine arts and architecture. It was proposed by fine arts scholars Sekino Tadasu (関野貞) and Okakura Kakuzo (岡倉覚三) around 1900. Sekino dated the Asuka period as ending with the Taika Reform of 646. Okakura, however, saw it as ending with the transfer of the capital to the Heijō Palace (平城京) in Nara in 710. Although historians generally use Okakura's dating, many historians of art and architecture prefer Sekino's dating, and use the term " Hakuhō period” (白鳳時代, hakuhō jidai) to refer to the successive period.