Everyone knows that the modern capital of Japan is the city of Tokyo. However, not everyone knows what its first capital was called. We offer to make a short trip into the depths of history and find out what the Land of the Rising Sun was many centuries ago.
Nara (Japan) on the world map is just a small point. However, its significance was once very great. Today it is a small Japanese city located in the Kansai region. Its population is about 365 thousand people. However, this is not just a city. Nara is the first capital of Japan. Its former name is Heijou-kyou. The first capital of Japan was built, like much in this country at the initial stages of the development of statehood, in the image and likeness of Chang'an, the capital of China at that time. The civilization of ancient China greatly influenced the formation of religion, writing and statehood of the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan took over much from her. On a world map, these states are in the neighborhood, so do not be surprised.
The Golden Buddha is a symbol of Nara. The first capital of Japan was founded in 710. However, the presence in Nara of a large number of Buddhist temples, as well as a huge impact on the life of the city of Buddhist monks, became a threat to the government. Therefore, it decided to find a new capital. In 784, she was moved for a while to Nagaoko, and then to Kyoto.
The story of the Japanese capitals
The story of the Japanese capitals is a rather complicated and complicated thing. Official sources indicate the period of time when a city was the capital. However, despite this, in fact, she was repeatedly transferred. Even in the Nara era, it was transferred to 740-44. in Kuni-Kow (today's Camo). And in 745, the capital was another city - Naniva-Kow (modern Osaka). After that, Nara again became the capital.
Nara period
This is the name of the era in the history of Japan, when the capital was the city of Nara (from 710 to 794). Its features are the accelerated Sinization of society, the flourishing of culture, in particular poetry and Buddhism, the creation of the first Japanese historical chronicles.
Until the 8th century, the Japanese called their state Yamato. However, in 702 the first name “Nihon” arose. Visiting China, Avata no Mahito, the Japanese ambassador, named his country like that. Before the adoption of Taiho (the main legislative code) in 701, it was a custom, after the death of the emperor, to transfer the capital of the state to a new place. In the 8th century, the reform of Japanese society began. A centralized authority was created with an effective administrative apparatus. As a result, the entire territory of Japan was united. All this required the creation of a settled large center. The first capital in 710 and became this center.
Nara was a quadrangle, which was divided into the left and right of the "capital". In addition, the city was divided into dozens of small areas. Government buildings were concentrated in the northern part of Nara. Here was the palace of the emperor. The central thoroughfare of the city, known as the "Red Phoenix Street", stretched from it. She reached the main gate located in the south.
The population of Japan during the Nara period
The Nara period in Japanese studies is seen as a continuation of the reforms begun in the 7th century. They were associated with the borrowing of the civilizational experience of China. The population of the state, according to Russian researchers, was approximately 6 million people. The Japanese empire at that time was already a centralized state. The population was divided into 2 categories: Ryomin (kind people) and Sammin (vile people). Officials belonged to the first category (they were the elite of Japan at that time), as well as free community members and artisans who depended on the court. The sammin included the guards of the graves, criminals turned into slaves and their families, privately owned slaves. All officials, according to the legislative codes of Japan of the 7th century, were divided into provincial and metropolitan. Their position was fixed by a system of 9 ranks. In turn, they were divided into junior and senior rank. The higher the official’s place in this system, the higher his salary, the more privileges and benefits.
State economy
The economy of this period was state-planned. A network of roads leading to the capital was laid for more efficient tax collection. Thanks to her, the active development of Japan began. At the court, they minted silver and copper coins. In 708, the first Japanese coins appeared. The money was mainly used to pay salaries to employees and officials. The bulk of the Japanese was outside the sphere of commodity circulation. 90% of the inhabitants were free peasants. The country's economy was of a natural nature.
The Naturalization of Buddhism and the Prosperity of the Arts
An important feature of this era is the naturalization of Buddhism. Emperor Semu’s policies contributed to this. He personally converted to Buddhism, which was declared the "defender" of the country, in other words, defined as the state religion. The Nara period is also the era of the heyday of the arts that the Japanese Empire experienced at that time. To this day, most of the works of art have been preserved in Shoshoin (the imperial repository), located on the territory of the Todai-ji Temple. Among them, you can find objects from India and Persia, which suggests that the ancient Japanese participated in international trade.
The time when Nara was the center of the whole state was an outstanding period in the history of Japan in terms of the progress of art and architecture. The reason for this was the extensive international exchange with Korea and China. The basis of culture and politics in Japan at the same time was already formed enough to have its characteristic features. Many shrines and temples of that time and today can be seen in the first capital and, having returned back to 1300 years, feel the atmosphere of those years.
Nara's population during its heyday
It is believed that in its heyday, Nara was a large city. About 100 thousand people lived here. In Nara was the residence of Shchyomu (Semu), the 45th emperor of Japan. He was the first to marry a commoner. In addition, the first capital of Japan was a political and administrative center with many officials. It was here, according to an ancient myth, that Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan, descended from heaven astride a deer Jimmu. Therefore, in the country, and especially in its first capital, deer are sacred animals that are designed to protect the city and state.
The fate of Nara after the transfer of the capital
After Nara ceased to be the capital, its development stopped for some time. Many architectural monuments of the city during the internecine wars, which so often took place in Japan and lasted a very long time, were destroyed, since most of the buildings of that time were built of wood. Under agricultural land, the lands of the first capital began to be used. The once majestic city fell into complete decline. However, influential temples centuries later opposed this. Again, Nara became the capital of shrines and temples in Japan.
City restoration
Restoring it was not so simple - many monuments were completely destroyed. And in order to recreate Suzakumon, the majestic gate of the red phoenix, the main ones in the temple of Nara, did not even have enough basic information. It was not known for certain how they looked. Therefore, the reconstruction was carried out on the basis of a model made as a result of excavations, comparison and analysis of the distances between the columns and fragments that were found. In 1998, the gate was reconstructed. Today it is a magnificent building 25 meters high. They are built of concrete and cypress. When reconstructing them, the seismological situation in the region was taken into account, and special technologies were used that allow the gate to stand for another 500 years.
Gardens of Nara
Based on the excavations, it was also possible to reconstruct the gardens that restored the ancient appearance of this area. For more than a thousand years in Nara, deforestation of the sacred mountain Kasugayama has been prohibited. And today they are considered pristine. Japanese cedars still grow in them, and these forests are the habitat of many rare animals. They themselves are a natural monument. It is very unusual that these ancient forests are in close proximity to the city. They are an important place for tourist excursions. These forests are free to visit daily. 175 species of trees, 598 species of flowers, 60 species of animals and birds and 1180 species of insects grow here.
Nara today
The ancient capital of Nara is today a favorite tourism destination of the Japanese. Excursions here for graduation classes of schools and kindergarten groups are especially popular. For foreign travelers there are tours designed, as a rule, for one day. If you plan to stay here for a longer time, you should take care of booking the hotel in advance, as there are not many of them in this city. The former capital of Japan is one of the best places where you can enjoy sakura blossoms in spring and watch the beauty of mimiji leaves in autumn.