The Kamakura Period (鎌倉時代 Kamakura jidai, 1185-1333) is the historical period that corresponds to the rule of the Kamakura shōgun. It is named after the city of Kamakura where the shogunal government was located.
While 1333 - the year in which the Kamakura shogunate was destroyed - is the...
Warring States Period (1467-1568)
The Sengoku Period (戦国時代) lasted from 1467, the beginning of the Ōnin War (応仁の乱 Ōnin no Ran), until 1568, the year Oda Nobunaga entered Kyōto to assert national hegemony.
Some historians date it from 1490, when Hosokawa Katsumoto (細川 勝元, 1430-1473), the kanrei...
Kofun Period (250-538)
The Kofun Period (古墳時代 Kofun jidai) refers to the protohistoric period of Japan, usually dated from 250 to ca 538 CE, characterised by the construction of large tumuli or tomb mounds (古墳 kofun). It is generally divided into two phases: early (4th century), and late 5th and...
Heian Period (794-1185)
Heian Period (Part 1): Heiankyō, institutions, politics and government
Heian Period (Part 2): land tenure
Heian Period (Part 3): cultural life, religion, literature, art
Heian Cultural Life
While most historians regard the political and economic developments of the...
Heian Period (794-1185)
Heian Period (Part 1): Heiankyō, institutions, politics and government
Heian Period (Part 2): land tenure
Heian Period (Part 3): cultural life, religion, literature, art
Heian land tenure
In the mid-seventh century, the ruling family in Yamato maintained an unstable...
Heian Period (794-1185)
Heian Period (Part 1): Heiankyō, institutions, politics and government
Heian Period (Part 2): land tenure
Heian Period (Part 3): cultural life, religion, literature, art
The Heian Period (平安時代 Heian jidai) spans almost 400 years from 794, when Emperor Kammu...
Nara Period (710-784)
The Nara Period (奈良時代 Nara jidai) is the historical period beginning in 710, the year the capital was moved from Fujiwarakyō to Heijōkyō (the modern-day city of Nara), and ending in 784 when the capital was moved to Nagaokakyō. The ten years at Nagaokakyō (784-794) are...
The Asuka Period (飛鳥時代 Asuka jidai) is defined as a subdivision of the Yamato Period (ca 250-710 CE) or – by other accounts – as the Late Kofun Period, variously dated but centred in the reign (593-628) of Empress Suiko (推古天皇 Suiko-tennō, 554-628), the first of Japan’s eight empress regnant...
The Yayoi period (弥生時代 Yayoi jidai) is a prehistoric period of Japan, usually dated from 300 BCE to ca 300 CE, during which wet-rice agriculture and the use of bronze and iron first appeared in Japan. Yayoi refers to certain characteristic pottery discovered in the Yayoi quarter of Bunkyō Ward...
The Jomon Period (縄文時代 Jōmon jidai, ca 11000 BCE-ca 300 BCE) is generally identified with hunting and gathering ways of life, especially the intense utilisation of marine resources in shellfish collecting and deep-sea fishing. The name of this period derives from the jōmon (cord-markings) that...
The Taishō era (大正時代, lit. “Great Righteousness”, 1912-1926) is the period of the Taishō Emperor‘s reign. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic clique of “elder statesmen” (genrō) to the parliament and the democratic parties...
The Meiji Era (明治時代 1868-1912) designates the reign of the Meiji Emperor. During this time, Japan started its modernisation and rose to world power status.
In 1867, 15-year-old Mutsuhito succeeded his father, the Emperor Komei (孝明天皇, Kōmei-tennō), taking the title Meiji, meaning "enlightened...
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.