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Period: 710 to 794
Nara Period
Before 710, the site of the capital moved every time a new Emperor came to the throne. In 710, however, a permanent court was made in Nara, which witnessed seven successive Emperors over the next 77 years. With the establishment of Nara, more efficient economic practices began to emerge. Tax collection was better organised, roads were built leading in and out of Nara, and the first Japanese coins were made. The first histories and works of literature appeared during this period. -
Period: 794 to 1185
Heian Period
In 794, the capital was moved to Heiankyo (present-day Kyoto).The Heian Period ushered in a new era of prosperity and peace, allowing the noble class to attain new heights in the arts and culture. Chinese characters were used to create a new Japanese writing style that allowed for the first time a blossoming of Japanese literature and poetry. Towards the end of the Heian Period military clans in provinces began clashing for power, pushing Japan into a series of wars and the feud. -
Period: 1185 to 1333
Kamakura Period
After the Genji clan emerged victorious in battles with the Heike clan, Yoritomo, the head of the Genji clan, established a military government in a fishing village called Kamakura and became the nation's first shogun, or military leader. This marked the beginning of Japan's 700 years of shogunate rule (it was only in 1868, in the Meiji Restoration, that the Emperor was restored to power) and the ascendancy of the warrior caste, known as samurai. -
1190
Zen Buddism introduced
Bound to their feudal lord by a strict code of honor, the samurai led a Spartan lifestyle exemplified by Zen Buddhism, introduced to Japan in 1190, which espoused mental and physical discipline and had a tremendous influence on the arts and literature. -
1274
First Mongol Invasion
The first of two failed attempts to take over japan by the mongols. -
1281
Second Mongol Invasion
The second and final failed attempt for mongols to take over Japan -
1333
Himeji Castle Built
Once a small fort, this tower has slowly progressed over history and is now the castle that it is, which hasn’t changed since 1618. -
Period: 1336 to 1568
Major period of Castle Building
Military power and strength shown through building great temples and castles. -
Period: 1336 to 1568
Muromachi Period
With the fall of the Kamakura government, a new feudal government was established at Muromachi in Kyoto in 1336. The shogun built villas like the Golden and Silver Pavilions and the rock garden at Ryoanji Temple, which are still major attractions today. Noh drama, the tea ceremony, flower arranging and gardening became the rage of the privileged class. Mighty castles mushroomed throughout the land, built by feudal lords not only for defense but as a symbol of military strength. -
Period: 1338 to 1573
Ashikaga Shogunate Period
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Period: 1467 to 1568
Warring States Period (Sengoku Period)
This is a period in Japanese history marked by social upheaval, political intrigue and near-constant military conflict. Japanese historians named it after the otherwise unrelated Warring States period in China. It was initiated by the Ōnin War, which collapsed the Japanese feudal system under the Ashikaga shogunate, and came to an end when the system was re-established under the Tokugawa shogunate by Tokugawa Ieyasu. -
Period: 1568 to
Azuchi–Momoyama Period
These years of political unification led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. It spans the years from c. 1573 to 1600, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order upon the chaos that had pervaded since the collapse of the Ashikaga shogunate. -
Kabuki Theatre
The history of kabuki began when Izumo no Okuni, possibly a miko of Izumo-taisha, began performing a new style of dance drama in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto. It originated in the 17th century. -
Period: to
Edo Period
In 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who emerged from the power struggle as the most powerful statesman, established a shogunate government in Edo. To secure his power, he instituted laws that managed to keep feudal lords in check for another 260 years. Isolation was made in 1639, the exception was Nagasaki, where a small colony of Dutch and Chinese merchants were allowed to trade. For the next two centuries, Japan was cut off from the modern world. -
Period: to
Sakoku
The country of Japan was closed from the rest of the world by the Tokugawa shogunate -
Commodore Perry Arrival
The United States and the Opening to Japan, 1853. American Commodore Matthew Perry led his four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay, seeking to re-establish for the first time in over 200 years regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world. -
Meji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration, also known as the Meiji Ishin, was an event that restored practical imperial rule to the Empire of Japan under Emperor Meiji. -
USA and Japan Treaty
The treaty established that any attack against Japan or the United States perpetrated within Japanese territorial administration would be dangerous to the respective countries' own peace and safety. It requires both countries to act to meet the common danger. To support that requirement, it provided for the continued presence of US military bases in Japan.
