was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the
Asuka periodThe , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
(
538-Europe:* March 12—Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.* Gabrán mac Domangairt becomes king of Dál Riata....
A.D. -
710-Asia:* The Asuka period, the second and last part of the Yamato period, ends, and the Nara period begins in Japan; Heijō-kyō becomes the capital of Japan....
A.D.), which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of
Asukais a village located in Takaichi District, Nara, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 6,146 and a density of 255.23 persons per km². The total area is 24.08 km².Asuka is the land where ancient palaces were located...
,
Nara Prefectureis a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.- History :The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
.
Some of the many theories of what the place was named after include the bird
Common CrossbillThe Common Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the spruce forests of North America, where it is known as Red Crossbill, as well as Europe and Asia; some populations breed in pine forests in certain areas of all three continents, and in North...
, or
isuka in Japanese, or local geological features, e.g. 洲処 (
suka, meaning sandbar, sandbank or delta) or 崩地 (
asu) + 処 (
ka).
Well, their poster child doesn't know it yet, but she's into me.
I guess I'll see you around...'same bat time' or whatever.
[to Janet] Remember when you got drunk and nearly got the chancellor of Bulgaria killed? I covered for you!
[to Lucy] I'm here because I feel more like me when I'm with you, than I do when I'm with me.
I think love should be irresistible, like a drug, you know? I think when it happens you should just not be able to help yourself. I just - I wanted... more.
Dominique: You're not as boring as I thought. But you're not as bright, either.
Mr Phipps: You are a perfect liar.
Scud: Knock 'em dead... but not really.
Janet: Have you seen my gun?
They're crime-fighting hotties with killer bodies.
was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the
Asuka periodThe , was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 , although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period...
(
538-Europe:* March 12—Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.* Gabrán mac Domangairt becomes king of Dál Riata....
A.D. -
710-Asia:* The Asuka period, the second and last part of the Yamato period, ends, and the Nara period begins in Japan; Heijō-kyō becomes the capital of Japan....
A.D.), which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of
Asukais a village located in Takaichi District, Nara, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 6,146 and a density of 255.23 persons per km². The total area is 24.08 km².Asuka is the land where ancient palaces were located...
,
Nara Prefectureis a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.- History :The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
.
Some of the many theories of what the place was named after include the bird
Common CrossbillThe Common Crossbill is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in the spruce forests of North America, where it is known as Red Crossbill, as well as Europe and Asia; some populations breed in pine forests in certain areas of all three continents, and in North...
, or
isuka in Japanese, or local geological features, e.g. 洲処 (
suka, meaning sandbar, sandbank or delta) or 崩地 (
asu) + 処 (
ka). However, it may have been named in honor of Asuka (or Ashuku) Nyorai, the Japanese equivalent of
AkshobhyaIn Vajrayana Buddhism, Akshobhya is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality...
, one of the Five Buddhas of Wisdom, who is still worshiped in
Asuka-dera', also known as ', is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest in Japan.-Temple complex:There are number of records that refers to the origin of the temple, such as the Nihongi and Fusō-ryakuki...
(Asuka Temple), the Asuka-niimasu-jinja (the shrine for his manifestation as a Shinto god), and several other structures from those days.
ArchaeologyArchaeology or archeology is the science that studies human cultures through the recovery, documentation, analysis, and interpretation of material culture and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, and landscapes...
projects continue to uncover relics from these ruins. Recent discoveries in the area include
Wado coinsis the oldest Japanese coin which was minted in 708.-See also:*Ryō *Japanese mon *Wadō *Economy of Japan-External links:*...
, believed to be some of the oldest coins in Japan, and paintings in the
KitoraThe is an ancient tumulus located in the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The tomb is believed to have been constructed some time between the 7th and early 8th centuries, but was only discovered in 1983....
and
TakamatsuzukaThe or "Tall Pine Tree Ancient Burial Mound" in Japanese is an ancient circular tomb in Asuka village, Nara prefecture, Japan.The tomb is thought to have been built at some time between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th century. It was accidentally discovered by a local...
Kofunare megalithic tombs or tumuli in Japan, constructed between early 3rd century and early 7th century. They gave their name to the Kofun period . Most of the Kofun have a keyhole-shaped mound , which is unique to ancient Japan.- Layout :The kofun tumuli have taken various shapes through history...
, or tombs.
The
Ishibutai Kofunis a kofun in Asuka, Nara, JapanIshibutai has a rectangular chamber measuring 25ft by 11ft by 15ft high approached by a passage 38ft in length and roofed by two capstones each weighing between 60 and 70 tons. Modern estimates place the largest stone at approximately 75 tons.It consisted of 30 stones...
is also located in Asuka. On March 12, 2004, the discovery of the remains of a residence's main building adjacent to the kofun was announced. It is likely that the residence belonged to
Soga no UmakoSoga no Umako , the son of Soga no Iname and the strongest member of the Soga clan of Japan, conducted political reforms with Prince Shotoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the government by having his daughter married with members...
, who is believed to have been entombed in the kofun.
Asuka can be reached from either Okadera station or Asuka station on the
Kintetsu, named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest private railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...
train line, or by car on Route 169.
Imperial Palaces
When Asuka was an imperial capital, various palaces were constructed for each monarch. As soon as one emperor died, the whole court moved to a newly constructed palace, since it was considered dangerous to remain in a place where a deceased monarch's spirit might reside. Sometimes even during a single emperor's reign, palaces were changed multiple times due to destruction by fire or ill omens. Since these palaces were entirely constructed from wood, none of them have survived, although some archaeological work in modern times has uncovered such remains as stone bases for pillars.
- Toyura Palace (592-603) rededicated as the nunnery Toyura-dera
- Oharida Palace (603-630)
- Okamoto Palace (630-636)
- Tanaka Palace (636- 640)
- Umayasaka Palace (640)
The court briefly moved to the Kudara Palace (640-642) in
Kōryō, Narais a town located in Kitakatsuragi District, Nara, Japan. It served as Japan's temporary capital from 640-642 A.D., the Kudara Palace. Kudara is a reference to the Korean kingdom of Baekje....
.
The court moved to the
Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace, or in short, is a historical Japanese palace which was located in present-day central Osaka city. The Palace of this period is also sometimes referred to as the Former Naniwa Palace, as opposed to the Latter Naniwa Palace in 744....
(645-654) in
Osakais a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū.Osaka is a City in Japan and also is designated city under the Local Autonomy Law and the capital city of Osaka Prefecture...
.
- Itabuki Palace (654-655)
- Kawara Palace (655-656)
- Later Okamoto Palace (656-661)
The court moved to the Tachibana no Hironiwa Palace (661–667) in
Asakura, Fukuokais a city located in south central Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was created on March 20, 2006 when the former city of Amagi merged with the former towns of Asakura and Haki to form the new city of Asakura.-Geography:...
. It moved again to the Ōmi Palace or Ōtsu Palace (667–672) in Ōmi-kyō (today
Ōtsu, Shigais the capital city of Shiga, Japan.As of February 2007 the city has an estimated population of 329,355 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 880.49 persons per km². The total area is 374.06 km².Around 667 to 672, the Ōmi Ōtsu Palace was founded by Emperor Tenji...
).
- Shima Palace (672)
- Okamoto Palace (672)
- Kiyomihara Palace (672-694)
The capital was then finally abandoned by
Empress Jitōwas the 41st imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. She was the fourth woman to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne. Her reign spanned the years from 686 through 697.-Genealogy:...
for
Fujiwara-kyōFujiwara-kyō , was the Imperial capital of Japan for sixteen years between 694 and 710. It was located in Yamato Province, specifically, present-day Kashihara in Nara prefecture, having been moved from nearby Asuka. However, in the Nihonshiki, the name Fujiwara-kyo had never been used...
.
See also
- Asuka, Nara
is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 6,146 and a density of 255.23 persons per km². The total area is 24.08 km².Asuka is the land where ancient palaces were located...
- Capital of Japan
Tokyo, the seat of the Government of Japan and home of the Emperor, is the de-facto capital of Japan. This is generally not in dispute, but it is not legally defined. In fact, there is a dispute as to exactly when Tokyo became the capital. Some state that it occurred when Tokyo prefecture was...