Asuka & Nara Japan
Buddhism arrives, Yamato consolidates, Nara temples rise
01
The Buddhist Crisis
the golden Buddha from Baekje and the religious civil war
538–587
02
Shotoku Taishi and Empress Suiko
Japan's first reigning empress and the Tang-modeled regent
593–622
03
The Coup of 645 and the Taika Reform
the Isshi Incident, the Taika Edicts, and the Baekgang catastrophe
622–663
04
The Hakuho Era and the Jinshin War
the largest civil war of ancient Japan and the late-Asuka consolidation
663–694
05
Building the Capital
the Taiho Code, the Wado Kaichin coinage, and the move to Heijo-kyo
694–720
06
Nara Buddhism and the Great Buddha
the kokubunji network, the Daibutsu of Todai-ji, and Ganjin's voyage
724–763
07
Literature, Law, and the Dokyo Affair
the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, Manyoshu, and the monk who nearly took the throne
712–770
08
The Move to Heian
Emperor Kammu, the Emishi wars, and the founding of Kyoto
770–794