Taihō Code 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 Taihō Code was a very important set of laws in ancient Japan. It was used during the 700s, a time known as the Nara period. Think of a "code" as a big rulebook that tells everyone how things should work.

What Was the Taihō Code?

This special rulebook had two main parts. One part was called ritsu. These were laws about crime and how to deal with people who broke the rules. The other part was called ryō. These laws explained how the government should be run. For example, the ryō decided which areas were provinces. It also set rules for governors and what they could or could not do.

How Was It Created?

The people who wrote the Taihō Code got many ideas from Chinese laws. They looked at the laws from the Tang Dynasty in China. However, the Japanese lawmakers made some changes. They wanted to give more government jobs to Japanese noble families. This was different from China, where anyone could get a government job if they passed special tests.

How Long Did It Last?

Today, experts do not have a complete copy of the original Taihō Code. But they believe it was very similar to a later set of laws called the Yōrō Code. If we count the Taihō Code and the Yōrō Code as the same system, these laws were used for a long time. They lasted from 702 CE until the start of the Tokugawa period in 1232 CE.

Images for kids

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  Map of provinces in 701–702

See also

In Spanish: Código Taihō para niños