Asuka period facts for kids

History of Japan

Paleolithic 35000–10000 BCE Jōmon period 10000–300 BCE Yayoi period 300 BCE–250 CE Kofun period 250–538 Asuka period 538–710 Nara period 710–794 Heian period 794–1185 Kamakura period 1185–1333 Kemmu restoration 1333–1336 Muromachi period 1333–1573 Nanboku-chō period 1336–1392 Sengoku period Azuchi-Momoyama period 1568–1603 Nanban trade Edo period 1603–1868 Late Tokugawa shogunate Meiji period 1868–1912 Meiji Restoration Taishō period 1912–1926 Japan in WWI Shōwa period 1926–1989 Japanese expansionism Occupied Japan Post-Occupation Japan Heisei period 1989-present

The Asuka period (飛鳥時代, Asuka jidai), sometimes called Suikochō-jidai ("period of the Suiko court"), was a time in the history of Japan which lasted from around 538 through about 710. There is some overlap with the Kofun period which came before. There is also some overlap with the Nara period which comes after.

The Asuka period is named after the Asuka region, about 25 km south to the modern city of Nara.

Timeline

• 538: Introduction of Buddhism from China via Korean peninsula
• 593: Prince Shōtoku is regent for Empress Suiko
• 600: Yamato state sends the first Japanese diplomatic mission to China
• 607: Prince Shōtoku builds the Buddhist temple Hōryūji in Ikaruga.
• 645 (Taika 1): Emperor Kōtoku moves his capital from Asuka to Naniwa near the Bay of Osaka.
• 645 (Taika 1): Taika Reform and the establishment of provinces
• 672: Prince Ōama, later Emperor Temmu usurped the throne by winning the civil war (Jinshin no Ran) against Emperor Kōbun.
• 701 (Taihō 1): Code of Taihō was proclaimed.
• 708 (Keiun 5): A mint was established in the province of Ōmi. The mint made coins which are recognized as the first Japanese currency.
• 710 (Wadō 3, 3rd month): Empress Gemmei established her new capital in Nara, which was known then as Heijō-kyō.

Gallery

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  Wadōkaichin coin, minted starting in 708

Related pages

• List of Japanese eras

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asuka and Nara Periods
• Japan-guide.com, Early Japan

Images for kids

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  The Daibutsu at the Asuka-dera in Asuka, the oldest known statue of the Buddha in Japan with an exact known date of manufacture, 609 AD; the statue was made by Kuratsukuri-no-Tori, son of a Korean immigrant.

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  A stone foundation section of the Mount Shioji Ōnojō Castle Ruins, where construction began in 665

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  A wall mural depicting ladies, from the west wall of the Takamatsuzuka Tomb, late 7th century, Asuka period

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  A dragon-head pitcher with Pegasus pattern incised, gilded bronze with silver, Asuka period, 7th century, former Horyu-ji Temple treasures, Tokyo National Museum

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  Bronze plaque depicting Shaka delivering a sermon, dated 698 AD, Hase-dera Temple, Sakurai, Nara

See also

In Spanish: Período Asuka para niños