Nara Period: From 710 to 794, it was the period in which the capital of the country was trasnferred to Nara by the Empress Genmei.
Heian Period: From 794 to 1185, it was the period in which the capital was moved to Kyoto. “Heian” means peace an tranquility, and this period is known for the blooming of the literatura and arts.
During these periods, the Chinese influence was strong but it was “japanized”, this means that Japanese took Chinese elements to made their own culture, for example: Chinese characters (Kanji) were used to write, but in these periods, the Kana (the Japanese writing system, a combination of Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana) was invented. Also, the capitals were modeled after the city of Chang’an, the capital of the Tang Dinasty in China.
Most important cultural contributions
- Literature: The Kojiki, which is the oldest Japanese historic book that is known, was written in the Nara period. Also from this period is the Kaifūsō, a poetry book written in Chinese by high class Japanese men. In the Heian period, the famous poem “Iroha” was written.
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Budhism expansion: The Emperor Shōmu, spread the buddhism across the country and it influenced in architecture. Many temples known as Kokubunji were built in the provinces. The famous temple Tōdai-ji was the Kokubunji for Nara.
