-
The capital is located in Nara, a small town close to Kyoto, and a number of
large Buddhist temples are built to protect the Emperor. A time of close ties
with China -
A time of rapid cultural change strongly influenced by China, led from
modern-day Kyoto -
Japan is dominated by powerful military families, and the arts are highly
decorated in style -
In the Kamakura Period, Minamoto no Yoritomo creates the first 'warrior
government' or shogunate in 1193. The Minamoto family rules from
Kamakura, a coastal town of Japan not far from modern-day Tokyo -
In the Muromachi Period, the Ashikaga clan rules as the shoguns. They
move the capital to Kyoto in the Muromachi district. -
The Momoyama Period (or Azuchi-Momoyama Period) were the final years
of the Medieval Period, which ended the 'Warring States' and Medieval
periods, when 'three great unifiers' united the country by force under a
military government. -
In the Tokugawa (Edo) Period, Japan is united under the Tokugawa clan and
society is reorganised around four classes: samurai, farmers, craftsmen and
merchants. Life centres on Edo (Tokyo), the new capital of Japan