Yamato, in the 7th century
:''This is summary of two more detailed articles,
Kofun period and
Asuka period.''
The is the period of
Japanese history when the Japanese Imperial court ruled from modern-day
Nara Prefecture, then known as
Yamato Province.
While conventionally assigned to the period
250–
710 (Kofun period c 250-
538, Asuka period 538-710), the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed. The Yamato court's supremacy was challenged up to some point among Kofun period by other polities centered around various parts of Japan. At least it is certain that
Yamato clans could be said to have major advantage over their neighbouring clans at the 6th century.
This period is divided by enactment of capital at Asuka, in modern Nara Prefecture, into the Kofun and Asuka periods. However, the kofun period is an archaeological period while the Asuka period is a historical period. Therefore, many think this is an old division and this concept of period division is not popular in Japan now.
At the era of
Prince Shotoku in early 7th century, a new constitution was prescribed for Japan based on the Chinese model. After the fall of
Baekje (
660 CE), the Yamato government sent envoys directly to the Chinese court, from which they obtained a great wealth of philosophical and social structure, also already in earlier centuries of the period. In addition to ethics of government, they also adopted the
Chinese calendar and many of its religious practices, including
Confucianism and
Taoism (Japanese:
Onmyo).
Background of Yamato society and culture
A millennium earlier, the
Japanese Archipelago had been inhabited by the
JÅmon people. In centuries prior to the beginning of the Yamato period, elements of the
Northeast Asian,
Chinese, and
Korean civilizations had been introduced to the
Japanese Archipelago in waves of migration. A similar view was popularized in Japan by
Egami Namio's theory of a powerful horse-riding race from the north who brought about the dramatic changes of the later Kofun period. Archaeological evidence indicates contacts between China, Korea, and Japan since prehistory of the
Neolithic period, and its continuation also at least in the Kofun period.
The rice-growing, politically fragmented
Yayoi culture either evolved into the culture characterized by the more centralized, patriarchal, militaristic Kofun period, or came to be dominated and eventually overrun by Yamato society.
Kofun period
Main articles: Kofun period
The is an era in the history of
Japan from around
250 to
538. The word ''kofun'' is Japanese for the type of
burial mounds dating from this era.
During the Kofun period, elements of
Northeast Asian,
Chinese civilization, and
Korean civilization continued to influence the culture in the
Japanese archipelago, both through waves of migration and through trade, travel and cultural change. Archaeological evidence indicates contacts between the mainland and Japan also during this period. Most scholars believe that there were massive transmissions of technology and culture from China via Korea to Japan which is evidenced by material artifacts in tombs of both states in the
Proto-Three Kingdoms of Korea and
Kofun eras, and the later wave of Baekje immigrants to Yamato.
The archaeological record and ancient Chinese and Korean sources indicate that the various tribes and chiefdoms of the Japanese Archipelago did not begin to coalesce into more centralized and hierarchical polities until
300 (well into the Kofun period), when large tombs begin to appear while there were no contacts between the
Wa and
China. Some describe the "mysterious century" as a time of internecine warfare as various local monarchies competed for hegemony on
Kyūshū and
Honshū.
Japan of the Kofun age was positive in the introduction of Chinese culture. Several kinds of apparatus were imported. Books from China were one of the most important trade goods. Chinese philosophy that had been introduced in this era, had a big influence on the history of Japan. Decorated bronze mirrors () were imported from China. Japan was importing iron from Korea until the latter half of the 6th century.
Kofun tombs
''Kofun'' (å¤å¢³, "old tomb") are burial mounds which were built for the people of the ruling class during the 4th to 7th centuries. The Kofun period takes its name from these distinctive earthen mounds which are associated with the rich
funerary rituals of the time. The mounds contained large stone burial chambers. Some are surrounded by
moats.
Kofun came in many shapes, with round and square being the simplest. A distinct style is the keyhole kofun ( ''zenpÅ kÅen fun''), with its square front and round back. Many kofun were natural hills, which might have been sculpted to their final shape. Kofun range in size from several meters to over 400
meters in length.
By the late Kofun period, the distinctive burial chambers, originally used by the ruling elite, also were built for commoners.
The biggest kofun are believed to be the tombs of emperors like
Emperor ÅŒjin (応神天皇 ''ÅŒjin TennÅ'') and
Emperor Nintoku (ä»å¾³å¤©çš‡ ''Nintoku TennÅ''). Kofun are also classified according to whether the entrance to the stone burial chamber is vertical (縦穴 ''tate-ana'') or horizontal (横穴 ''yoko-ana'').
Immigrants in early Japan
"Japan of the
Kofun Period was very positive towards the introduction of Chinese culture."
[1]
According to the
Book of Song (宋書). A Chinese emperor appointed
five kings of Wa to the ruler of
Baekje and
Silla in
421.
[2]
Yamato links to the mainland and the Liu Sung Dynasty in
425 and
478 were facilitated by the maritime knowledge and diplomatic connections of
China and the Three Kingdoms of the
Korean peninsula.
[3]
Many important figures were immigrants from
East Asia. The "Shinsen-Joujouroku" (新撰姓æ°éŒ²), which was used as a directory of aristocrats, lists a number of clans from the
Han China, Silla, Baekche, and Goguryeo.
[4] When the Yamato Imperial Court officially edited the directory in 815, 290 Korean clans and 163 Chinese clans were registered.
Kofun society
Haniwa horse statuette, complete with
saddle and
stirrups, 6th century.
The Kofun period was a critical stage in Japan's evolution toward a more cohesive and recognized state. This society was most developed in the
Kinai Region and the easternmost part of the
Inland Sea. Japan's rulers of the time even petitioned the Chinese court for confirmation of royal titles.
The Yamato
polity, which emerged by the late 5th century, was distinguished by powerful great clans or extended families, including their dependants. Each clan was headed by a
patriarch who performed sacred rites to the clan's ''
kami'' to ensure the long-term welfare of the clan. Clan members were the aristocracy, and the kingly line that controlled the Yamato court was at its pinnacle. The Kofun period of Japanese culture is also sometimes called the Yamato period by some Western scholars, since this local chieftainship arose to become the Imperial dynasty at the end of the Kofun period.
Asuka period
Main articles: Asuka period
The is generally defined as from
538–
710. The arrival of
Buddhism is utilized to mark a change in Japanese society and affected the
Yamato government.
The Yamato state evolved much during the Asuka period, which is named after the
Asuka region, south of modern
Nara, the site of numerous temporary imperial capitals established during the period. The Asuka period is known for its significant artistic, social, and political transformations, which had their origins in the late
Kofun period.
Artistically, the term 'Tori Style' is often used for the Asuka period. This is from the sculptor
Kuratsukuri Tori, grandson of Chinese immigrant Shiba Tatto. Tori Style inherits
Chinese Northern Wei style.
The arts during the
Asuka and
Nara periods are similar to contemporaneous art in China and Korea. One example of this is
Tori Busshi's
Shaka triad which reflects the style of early to mid-sixth century Chinese style.
Introduction of Buddhism
MahÄyÄna Buddhism officially introduced to Japan in 538.
:''See also
Buddhism in Japan''
According to ''
Nihon Shoki'', was officially introduced to the Yamato court through
Baekje in 552, while it is widely recognized Buddhism was introduced in 538 based on the biography of
Prince ShÅtoku (''JÅgÅ« ShÅtoku HouÅ Teisetsu'', kanji:上宮è–徳法王å¸èª¬) and the record of
GangÅ-ji (''GangÅ-ji Garan Engi'', kanji:元興寺伽è—ç¸èµ·).
Initial uptake of Buddhism was slow. ''
Nihon Shoki'' records that when
Emperor Kimmei discussed about the acceptance of this new foreign religion,
Soga no Iname expressed his support while
Mononobe no Okoshi and
Nakatomi no Kamako (later the
Fujiwara clan) opposed not on religious grounds, but more so as the results of feelings of nationalism and a degree of xenophobia.
With the dawn of the Asuka period the use of elaborate
kofun tombs by the
imperial family and other elite fell out of use because of prevailing new Buddhist beliefs, which put greater emphasis on the transience of human life. Commoners and the elite in outlying regions, however, continued to use kofun until the late seventh century, and simpler but distinctive tombs continued in use throughout the following period.
Buddhism only started to spread after
Mononobe no Moriya lost in the
Battle of Shigisen in 587 where the
Mononobe clan was defeated and crushed, and
Empress Suiko openly encouraged the acceptance of Buddhism among all Japanese people. In
607, in order to obtain copies of
Sutras, an
imperial embassy was dispatched to
Sui dynasty
China.
The Yamato state
The evolved still further during the Asuka period, which is named after the
Asuka region, south of modern
Nara, the site of numerous temporary imperial capitals established during the period. The Asuka period is known for its significant artistic, social, and political transformations, which had their origins in the late Kofun period.
The
Yamato court, concentrated in the Asuka region, exercised power over clans in
Kyūshū and
Honshū, bestowing titles, some hereditary, on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with all of Japan as the Yamato rulers suppressed the clans and acquired agricultural lands. Based on
Chinese models (including the adoption of the
Chinese written language), they developed a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains but with no permanent capital. By the mid-seventh century, the agricultural lands had grown to a substantial public domain, subject to central policy. The basic administrative unit of the
Gokishichido system was the county, and society was organized into occupation groups. Most people were farmers; other were fishers, weavers, potters, artisans, armorers, and ritual specialists.
Events
★ 538: The Korean kingdom of
Baekje dispatches a delegation to introduce Buddhism to the Japanese emperor
★ 593:
Prince Shotoku of the Soga clan rules Japan and promotes Buddhism
★ 600:
Prince Shotoku sends the first official Japanese mission to China
★ 604:
Prince Shotoku issues a Chinese-style constitution (Kenpo Jushichijo), based on Confucian principles, which de facto inaugurates the Japanese empire
★ 605:
Prince Shotoku declares Buddhism and Confucianism the state religions of Japan
★ 607:
Prince Shotoku builds the Buddhist temple Horyuji in the Asuka valley
★ 645:
Prince Shotoku is succeeded by Kotoku Tenno, who strengthens imperial power over aristocratic clans (
Taika Reform), turning their states into provinces
References
1. Keiji Imamura, ''Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia'', University of Hawaii Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8248-1852-0. [1].
2. ''Book of Song'' [2]
3. W.G. Beasley, ''The Japanese Experience: A Short History of Japan'', University of California Press, 2000. [3]
4. 『新撰姓æ°éŒ²ã€æ°æ—一覧, transcribed by Kazuhide Kitagawa. [4]
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Kofun |
Asuka ]
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Yayoi |
History of Japan |
Nara period >
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