However, after only 10 years, the emperor once more relocated the capital to Heian-kyo in 794 and left Nagaoka-kyo unfinished. One was the proliferation of the influential Buddhist monks and the emperor’s preference to utilize the new location’s rivers as a means of transportation, particularly the deep Yodo River that flowed into the Naniwa port. Heian-kyo - KyotoĪt the end of the Nara Period, Emperor Kanmu transferred the capital city from Heijokyo to Nagaoka-Kyo in AD 784 for several reasons. It is a popular place to visit along with Kyoto, the next capital in discussion. Good examples include Kasuga Grand Shrine and Todaiji Temple. There are also many shrines and temples that were preserved instead of the palace. Not too much of the old Nara capital remains, but one can visit the Heijo Palace site. As a result, Nara has somehow remained a time capsule that has preserved the historical and spiritual soul of Japan from that ancient era, particularly with its imposing Buddhist temples and rustic countryside. When Buddhist monks eventually populated Nara in droves and as they built more and more temple structures, the ruling class decided to relocate the seat of the empire in AD 784 AD to avoid potential conflicts with the monks. Archeological diggings show that city development in Kuni-kyō remained unfinished as a result of the events that transpired. ※ Japan Atlas Historic Sites, " Ancient Capital of Nara"įor a fleeting interim of 4 years, from AD 740 to 744, Emperor Shōmu moved the capital from Nara to Kuni-kyo (恭仁京) because of the Fujiwara no Hirotsugu rebellion, which was soon quelled and after which the imperial court went back to Nara, in Naniwa and Shigaraki temporarily, before the emperor eventually restored the imperial seat in Heijō-kyō in AD 745. In favor of the rectangular city blocks, however, the Japanese built more outlying areas and districts in the city. The layout of Nara was patterned after the old Chinese prime city of Chang'an (present day Xi’an), which had a perpendicular road- network orientation that is common in many modern cities. It became the official center of governance from AD 710 to 740 and from AD 745 to 784 AD. In what is called Nara Period, Heijō-kyō (平城京), which means “peace capital”, was formed as the first historical capital city of Japan in Nara. Japan has had many capital cities in its long history as the emperors tended to move around for reasons we have suggested above. Here are the three main former capitals of Japan - Nara, Kyoto and Kamakura. We will trace the brief historical narrative of how the honor of becoming the capital city of Japan eventually came to fall on Tokyo in 1868.Īs will become obvious, the main former capitals of Japan are also the locations of such historic and traditional value, and many people visit them to get a taste of past times. In many periods in Japanese history, the capital city shifted its location as each succession or generation of the royal family experienced various challenges to the stability and legitimacy as it faced forces that posed grave threats to its existence. Temples and shrines were built both within and outside the walls, with the area just outside the castle, where are the marketplaces were located was called 城下町 - jokamachi, or the town at the foot of the castle.These capital cities were then further surrounded by villages and farms of the larger mass of people who produced food and provided manual labor and other services for the ruling class. Hence, many former capitals of Japan, as well as the current one, host tourist destinations that contain magnificent remnants of castles and walls that once surrounded the old inner city from local and foreign enemies. The integrity of a city is further bolstered by its ability to secure its population, its wealth and its way of life from any outside forces seeking to overrun it or destroy its very existence. This is true of Japan’s former capitals as well. It also allows the community to create a center for conducting trade and interaction with neighboring towns and cities, as well as with other foreign trade partners. It is not accidental that most, if not all, capital cities and towns are built around the mouth of a wide, navigable river, encompassing its fertile delta which provides dwellers a steady source of freshwater, fish and other marine resources and well-irrigated fields for planting essential agricultural crops and raising livestock. The shifting of a capital city is no small matter, and here are the historical capitals of Japan before Tokyo that we know of today was crowned. The capital cities of Japan have aided the nation towards developments and legacies throughout its long history, contributing to what it is today.
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