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{{Short description|Period of Japanese history from 538 CE to 710 CE}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = Wa ({{lang|ja|倭}}) to Nippon ({{lang|ja|日本}})
| conventional_long_name = [[Wakoku]] <small>(until 701)</small> <br>Nippon <small>(from 701)</small>
| common_name            = Nippon
| year_start             = 538
| year_end               = 710
| p1                     = Kofun period
| image_map              =  {{Switcher|[[File:Yamato Kingship in East Asia.svg|frameless]]|Show [[Yamato Kingship|Yamato kingship]] map|[[File:Japan prov map701.png|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show [[Taihō Code|Taihō code]] provinces (701/702)|default=1}}
| map_caption            =  
| s1                     = Nara Period
| event_start            = [[Buddhism in Japan#Asuka Buddhism (552–645)|Introduction of Buddhism]]
| event_end              = [[Nara period|Capital moved to Nara]]
| event1     = [[Soga–Mononobe conflict]]
| date_event1            = 552–587  
| event2                 = [[Japanese missions to Imperial China|Embassy to China]]
| date_event2            = 607
| event3                 = [[Isshi incident]]
| date_event3            = 10 July 645
| event4                 = [[Taika Reform]]
| date_event4            = 645
| event5                 = [[Jinshin War]]
| date_event5            = 672
| event6                 = [[Asuka Kiyomihara Code]] proclaimed
| date_event6            = 689
| event7                 = [[Taihō Code]] enacted
| date_event7            = 701–718
| capital                = [[Asuka, Yamato|Asuka]] (until 694)<br>[[Fujiwara-kyō]] (694–710)
| official_languages     = 
| government_type        = [[Examples of feudalism|Feudal]] [[monarchy]]
| title_leader           = [[Okimi]] ([[Emperor of Japan|Emperor]])
| leader1                = [[Emperor Kinmei|Kinmei]]
| year_leader1           = 539/540–571
| leader2                = [[Emperor Tenmu|Tenmu]]
| year_leader2           = [[Hakuhō period|673–686]]
| leader3                = [[Empress Genmei|Genmei]]
| year_leader3           = 707–710
|title_representative   = [[Omi (title)|Ōomi]] ([[Soga clan|Soga Clan]])
| representative1 = [[Soga no Iname]]
| year_representative1 = 538/552–570
| representative2 = [[Soga no Emishi]]
| year_representative2 =626–645
| religion               = [[Shinto]]<br>[[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhism]]
| common_languages       = [[Old Japanese]]<br>[[Middle Chinese]]
| currency               = Fuhonsen
}}
{{History of Japan |periods |image=Prince Shotoku with Two Princes by Kano Osanobu 1842.png|caption=[[Prince Shōtoku]]}}
The {{Nihongo|'''Asuka period'''|飛鳥時代|Asuka jidai|{{IPA|ja|a.sɯ̥.ka ((d)ʑiꜜ.dai)}}<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:新明解日本語アクセント辞典|edition=2nd|editor-last=Kindaichi|editor-first=Haruhiko|editor-link=Haruhiko Kindaichi|editor-last2=Akinaga|editor-first2=Kazue|publisher=[[Sanseidō]]|date=10 March 2025|lang=ja}}</ref>}} was a period in the [[history of Japan]] lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding [[Kofun period]]. The [[Yamato period|Yamato]] polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the [[Asuka, Yamato|Asuka]] region, about {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}} south of the modern city of [[Nara, Nara|Nara]].

The Asuka period is characterized by its significant [[Japanese art|artistic]], social, and political transformations, having their origins in the late Kofun period. The introduction of Buddhism marked a change in Japanese society. The Asuka period is also distinguished by the change in the name of the country from {{Nihongo|[[Wa (name of Japan)|Wa]]|倭}} to {{Nihongo|[[Nihon|Nippon]]|日本}}.

==Naming==
The term "Asuka period" was first used to describe a period in the history of Japanese fine-arts and architecture. It was proposed by fine-arts scholars {{Nihongo|Sekino Tadasu|関野貞}} and [[Okakura Kakuzō]] around 1900. Sekino dated the Asuka period as ending with the [[Taika Reform]] of 646. Okakura, however, saw it as ending with the transfer of the capital to the [[Heijō Palace]] of Nara. Although historians generally use Okakura's dating, many historians of art and architecture prefer Sekino's dating and use the term "{{Nihongo|[[Hakuhō period]]|白鳳時代}}" to refer to the successive period.

== Yamato Imperial Court ==
From the Asuka period in the 6th century, as a sub-division of the {{nihongo|[[Yamato period]] |大和時代|''Yamato-jidai''}}, is the first time in [[history of Japan|Japanese history]] when the [[Emperor of Japan]] ruled relatively uncontested from modern-day [[Nara Prefecture]], then known as [[Yamato Province]].

The second half of the Kofun period, exercised power over clans in [[Kyūshū]] and [[Honshū]], bestowing titles, some hereditary, on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with all of Japan as the Yamato rulers suppressed other clans and acquired agricultural lands. Based on [[China|Chinese]] models (including the adoption of the [[Chinese written language]]), they developed a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains but with no permanent capital. By the mid-seventh century, the agricultural lands had grown to a substantial public domain, subject to central policy. The basic administrative unit of the {{Nihongo |''[[Gokishichidō]]''|五畿七道|extra="five cities, seven roads"}} system was the county, and society was organized into occupation groups. Most people were farmers; others were fishers, weavers, potters, artisans, armorers, and ritual specialists.<ref name="FRD">{{Cite journal | last = L. Worden | first = Robert | title = Kofun and Asuka Periods, ca. A.D. 250–710 | journal = A Country Study: Japan | publisher = [[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]] | year = 1994 | url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html | access-date = 2007-04-06 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070406121546/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html| archive-date= 6 April 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Soga clan and Shōtoku Taishi==
[[File:Asuka dera daibutsu.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Daibutsu]] at the [[Asuka-dera]] in Asuka, the oldest known statue of the Buddha in Japan with an exact known date of manufacture, 609 AD; the statue was made by [[Tori Busshi|Kuratsukuri-no-Tori]], son of a Korean immigrant.]]
The [[Soga clan]] intermarried with the [[Imperial House of Japan|imperial family]], and by 587 [[Soga no Umako]], the Soga chieftain, was powerful enough to install his nephew as emperor and later to assassinate him and replace him with the [[Empress Suiko]] (r. 593–628). Suiko, the first of eight sovereign empresses, is sometimes considered a mere figurehead for Umako and Prince Regent [[Prince Shōtoku|Shōtoku Taishi]] (574–622). However she wielded power in her own right, and the role of Shōtoku Taishi is often exaggerated to the point of legend.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Shōtoku, recognized as a great intellectual of this period of reform, was a devout [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] and was well-read in [[Chinese literature]]. He was influenced by Confucian principles, including the [[Mandate of Heaven]], which suggested that the sovereign ruled at the will of a supreme force. Under Shōtoku's direction, Confucian models of rank and etiquette were adopted, and his [[Seventeen-article constitution]] prescribed ways to bring harmony to a chaotic society in Confucian terms.

In addition, Shōtoku adopted the [[Chinese calendar]], developed a system of trade roads (the aforementioned ''Gokishichidō''), built numerous [[Buddhist temples in Japan|Buddhist temples]], had court chronicles compiled, sent students to [[China]] to study Buddhism and Confucianism, and sent [[Ono no Imoko]] to China as an {{nihongo|[[Imperial Japanese embassies to China|emissary]]|遣隋使|Kenzuishi}}.<ref name="FRD"/>

Six official missions of envoys, priests, and students were sent to China in the seventh century. Some remained twenty years or more; many of those who returned became prominent reformers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} The sending of such scholars to learn Chinese political systems showed significant change from envoys in the Kofun period, in which the [[five kings of Wa]] sent envoys for the approval of their domains.

In a move greatly resented by the Chinese, Shōtoku sought equality with the Chinese emperor by sending official correspondence that was addressed, "From the [[Son of Heaven]] in the Land of the Rising Sun to the Son of Heaven of the Land of the Setting Sun."

Some would argue that Shōtoku's bold step set a precedent: Japan never again accepted a "subordinate" status in its relations with China,<ref name="FRD"/> except for [[Ashikaga Yoshimitsu]], who accepted such a relationship with China in the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite journal | last = L. Worden| first = Robert| title = Kamakura and Muromachi Periods, 1185–1573, Economic and Cultural Developments| journal = A Country Study: Japan| publisher = [[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]]| year = 1994| url = http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html| access-date = 2007-04-06 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070406121546/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html| archive-date= 6 April 2007 | url-status= live}} Yoshimitsu, in 1404, accepted the "King of Japan" title in his willingness to improve relations with China and to rid Japan of the wako threat, thus establishing trade with China. This was  considered as tribute by the Chinese but the Japanese saw it as profitable trade. This relationship lasted for about 50 years. (see also ''[[Sinocentrism]]'').</ref>
As a result, Japan in this period received no title from Chinese dynasties, while they did send {{Nihongo|tribute|有貢無封|yūkō mufū}}. From the Chinese point of view, the class or position of Japan was demoted from previous centuries in which the kings received titles. On the other hand, Japan loosened its political relationships with China and consequently established extraordinary cultural and intellectual relationships.<ref>{{cite book |author=general editors, John W. Hall... [ |title=The Cambridge history of Japan |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, UK |year=1988 |pages=182–183 |isbn=0-521-22352-0 |display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref>[http://www.japanology.cn/paper/ch/14gao_mingshi.html 隋唐使の赴倭とその儀礼問題 台湾大学歴史学系　高明士] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060919070814/http://www.japanology.cn/paper/ch/14gao_mingshi.html |date=September 19, 2006 }}, japanology.cn</ref>

==Taika Reform and the ''ritsuryō'' system==

===Taika Reform===
{{Main|Taika Reform}}
{{multiple image
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| image2 = Fuhonsen Asukaike end of 7th century copper and antimony.jpg
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| footer = '''Left image''': {{nihongo|Copper [[epitaph]] of [[Funashi Ōgo]]|銅製船氏王後墓誌|dōsei funashi ōgo no boshi}}, who died in 641 AD and was reburied with his wife in 668 AD. The inscription of 162 characters tells on one side about his birthplace and career and on the opposite about his age at death and the burial details.<br/>'''Right image''': [[Copper]] {{nihongo|''[[Fuhonsen]]''|富本銭}} [[Japanese currency|coinage]] from the 7th century, Asuka period
}}

About twenty years after the deaths of Shōtoku Taishi (in 622), Soga no Umako (in 626), and Empress Suiko (in 628), court intrigues over succession led to a palace coup in 645 against the [[Soga clan]]'s monopolized control of the government. The revolt was led by [[Emperor Tenji|Prince Naka no Ōe]] and [[Fujiwara no Kamatari|Nakatomi no Kamatari]], who seized control of the court from the Soga family and introduced the [[Taika Reform]].<ref name="FRD"/> The [[Japanese era name|Japanese era]] corresponding to the years 645–649 was thus named {{nihongo||大化|''[[Taika (era)|Taika]]''}}, meaning "great change" in reference to the Reform. The revolt leading to the Taika Reform is commonly called the [[Isshi Incident]], referring to the [[Chinese astrology|Chinese zodiac]] year in which the coup took place, 645.

Although it did not constitute a legal code, the Taika Reform mandated a series of reforms that established the ''[[ritsuryō]]'' system of social, fiscal, and administrative mechanisms of the seventh to tenth centuries. {{Nihongo|''Ritsu''|律}} was a code of penal laws, while {{Nihongo|''ryō''|令}} was an administrative code. Combined, the two terms came to describe a system of patrimonial rule based on an elaborate legal code that emerged from the Taika Reform.<ref name="FRD"/>

The [[Taika reform|Taika]] Reform, influenced by [[China|Chinese]] practices, started with land redistribution aimed at ending the existing landholding system of the great clans and their control over domains and occupational groups. What were once called {{nihongo|"private lands and private people"|私地私民|shichi shimin}} became {{nihongo|"public lands and public people"|公地公民|kōchi kōmin}}, as the court now sought to assert its control over all of Japan and to make the people direct subjects of the throne. Land was no longer hereditary but reverted to the state at the death of the owner. Taxes were levied on harvests and on silk, cotton, cloth, thread, and other products. A [[corvée]] (labor) tax was established for military conscription and building public works. The hereditary titles of clan chieftains were abolished, and three ministries were established to advise the throne:
* the [[Sadaijin|Minister of the Left]]
* the [[Udaijin|Minister of the Right]]
* the [[Daijō Daijin|Chancellor of the Realm]]
The country was divided into provinces headed by governors appointed by the court, and the provinces were further divided into districts and villages.<ref name="FRD"/>

Naka no Ōe assumed the title of [[Crown Prince]], and Kamatari was granted a new family name—[[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara]]—in recognition of his great service to the imperial family. Fujiwara no Kamatari became the first in a long line of court aristocrats. Another, long-lasting change was the use of the name {{nihongo|Nihon|日本}}, or sometimes {{Nihongo|Dai Nippon|大日本|extra="Great Japan"}} in diplomatic documents and chronicles. In 662, following the reigns of Naka no Ōe's uncle and mother, Naka no Ōe assumed the throne as [[Emperor Tenji]], taking the additional title [[Emperor of Japan]]. This new title was intended to improve the Yamato clan's image and to emphasize the divine origins of the imperial family in the hope of keeping it above political frays, such as those precipitated by the Soga clan. Within the imperial family, however, power struggles continued as the emperor's brother and son vied for the throne in the [[Jinshin War]]. The brother, who later reigned as [[Emperor Tenmu]], consolidated Tenji's reforms and state power in the imperial court.<ref name="FRD"/>

===''Ritsuryō'' system===
{{multiple image
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| image2 = Five-storied Pagoda - Hōryū-ji - Ikaruga, Nara, Japan - DSC07559.jpg
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| footer = '''Left image''': The three-story [[pagoda]] of [[Hokki-ji]] temple, built in 706 at the end of the Asuka period
<br/>'''Right image''':The five-storied [[Japanese pagoda]] of [[Hōryū-ji]] temple, built in the early 7th century (temple was founded in 607; carbon dating of the pagoda's wooden components proves that they were felled as far back as 594)<ref name="100years">{{cite web
  | last = Web Japan 
  | first = sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan
  | title = One hundred years older than supposed?: World Heritage Pagoda
  | url=http://web-japan.org/trends00/honbun/tj010330.html
  | access-date = 2007-04-04 }}</ref>
}}
The ''ritsuryō'' system was codified in several stages. The [[Ōmi Code]], named after the provincial site of Emperor Tenji's court, was completed in about 668. Further codification took place with the promulgation by [[Empress Jitō]] in 689 of the [[Asuka Kiyomihara Code]], named for the location of the late Emperor Temmu's court. The ''ritsuryō'' system was further consolidated and codified in 701 under the [[Taihō Code]], which, except for a few modifications and being relegated to primarily ceremonial functions, remained in force until 1868.<ref name="FRD"/>

Though the ''ritsu'' of the code was adopted from the Chinese system, the ''ryō'' was arranged in a local style. Some scholars argue that it was to a certain extent based on Chinese models.<ref>William Wayne Farris, ''Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues on the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan'', [[University of Hawaii Press]], 1998. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&q=yamato+paekche&pg=PA105 Books.Google.com].</ref>

The Taihō Code provided for Confucian-model penal provisions (light rather than harsh punishments) and Chinese-style central administration through the {{Nihongo|''[[Jingi-kan]]''|神祇官}}, which was devoted to [[Shinto]] and court rituals, and the {{Nihongo|''[[Daijō-kan]]''|太政官}}, with its eight ministries (for central administration, ceremonies, civil affairs, the imperial household, justice, military affairs, people's affairs, and the treasury). Although the [[Imperial examination|Chinese-style civil service examination]] system was not adopted, {{nihongo|the college office|大学寮|Daigaku Ryō}} was founded for training future bureaucrats based on the Confucian classics. Tradition circumvented the system, however, as aristocratic birth continued to be the main qualification for higher position, and titles were soon hereditary again. The Taihō Code did not address the selection of the sovereign. Several empresses reigned from the fifth to the eighth centuries, but after 770 succession was restricted to males, usually from father to son, although sometimes from ruler to brother or uncle.<ref name="FRD"/>

[[Fujiwara no Fuhito]], son of [[Fujiwara no Kamatari|Nakatomi no Kamatari]], was among those who produced the Taihō Ritsuryō. According to history book {{Nihongo|[[Shoku Nihongi]]|続日本紀}}, two of the 19 members of the committee drafting the [[Taihō Code]] were Chinese priests (Shoku Shugen and Satsu Koukaku).<ref>[http://applepig.idv.tw/kuon/furu/text/syokki/syokki01.htm#skk01_06 續日本紀　卷第一　文武紀一] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070111084211/http://applepig.idv.tw/kuon/furu/text/syokki/syokki01.htm#skk01_06 |date=January 11, 2007 }}, applepig.idv.tw</ref><ref>[http://www.j-texts.com/jodai/shoku1.html 『続日本紀』国史大系版] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512121540/http://www.j-texts.com/jodai/shoku1.html |date=2018-05-12 }}, j-texts.com</ref> Chinese priests also took an active part as linguistic specialists, and received rewards two times from [[Empress Jitō]].

==Foreign relations==
[[File:Oonojou.jpg|thumb|A stone foundation section of the Mount Shioji [[Ōnojō Castle Ruins]], where construction began in 665]]
[[File:Takamat1.jpg|thumb|A wall mural depicting ladies, from the west wall of the [[Takamatsuzuka Tomb]], late 7th century, Asuka period]]
[[Chinese culture]] had been introduced to Japan by the [[Three Kingdoms of Korea]] before the [[imperial Japanese embassies to China]] were established. Although the missions continued, the transformation of Japan through Chinese influences declined, despite the close connections that had existed during the early Kofun period.<ref name="FRD"/> Meanwhile, the kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, often at odds with each other, frequently sent diplomatic missions with gifts to Japan, probably with the aim of securing Japanese neutrality or diplomatic/military support in their rivalries;<ref>''Early Samurai: 200–1500 AD'' by [[Anthony J. Bryant]], [[Angus McBride]] "At about this time Paekche began feeling renewed pressure from Silla and Koguryo and pleaded with the Yamato court to send help&nbsp;... During the Mimana struggles against Silla, Paekche sent many presents to Japan."(Page8)</ref> ultimately, this proved to be of the greatest benefit to [[Baekje]], as Japanese military support for that kingdom increased.<ref name="Sansom">Sansom, George (1958). ''A History of Japan to 1334''. Stanford, California: [[Stanford University Press]]. 47–49.</ref> People, many of them artisans and skilled workers, also emigrated to Japan from the Korean peninsula, including two high priests who arrived in Japan in 595: [[Hyeja|Eji]] from [[Goguryeo]] and [[Hyechong|Esō]] from Baekje.<ref>[http://www.bookrags.com/biography/shotoku-taishi/ ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' on Shotoku Taishi] "Two Korean high priests arrived in Japan in 595—Eji from the kingdom of Koryo (Koma) and Eso from the kingdom of Paekche (Kudara)."</ref> [[Kanroku]] also came from Baekje, and was a tutor to [[Prince Shōtoku]], counseling him politically. When Japan allied with Baekje, the Goguryeo priests left Japan.
The Yamato court, concentrated in the Asuka region, exercised power over clans in Kyushu and Honshu, bestowing titles, some hereditary, on clan chieftains. The Yamato name became synonymous with all of Japan as the Yamato rulers suppressed the clans and acquired agricultural lands. Based on Chinese models (including the adoption of the Chinese written language), they developed a central administration and an imperial court attended by subordinate clan chieftains but with no permanent capital. By the mid-seventh century, the agricultural lands had grown to a substantial public domain, subject to central policy. The basic administrative unit was the county, and society was organized into occupation groups. Most people were farmers; other were fishers, weavers, potters, artisans, armorers, and ritual specialists.

From 600 to 659, Japan sent seven emissaries to [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] China. But for the next 32 years, during a period when Japan was formulating its laws based on Chinese texts, none were sent. Though Japan cut off diplomatic relations with China, Japan sent 11 emissaries to [[Silla]], and Silla is also recorded in [[Nihon Shoki]] as sending embassies to Japan 17 times during the reigns of [[Emperor Tenmu]] and [[Empress Jitō]]. The ruling classes of [[Yamato period|Yamato]] and [[Baekje]] were on amicable terms, and Yamato deployed its navy to aid Baekje, in 660–663, against an invasion by [[Silla]] and Tang China (see [[battle of Baekgang]]).

Numerous official missions of envoys, priests, and students were sent to China in the seventh century. Some remained twenty years or more; many of those who returned became prominent reformers. In a move greatly resented by the Chinese, Shotoku sought equality with the Chinese emperor by sending official correspondence addressed "From the Son of Heaven in the Land of the Rising Sun to the Son of Heaven of the Land of the Setting Sun." Shotoku's bold step set a precedent: Japan never again accepted a subordinate status in its relations with China.

==Introduction of Buddhism==
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| image2            = Periodo asuka, amitabha e due assitenti, VII sec.JPG
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| footer            = '''Left image''': [[Yakushi Nyorai]] (National Treasure), Kondo, Horyuji, Nara Prefecture, Japan, 7th century, Asuka period
<br/>'''Right image''': [[Amitabha Buddha]] [[Yamada-den Amida Triad|and two assistants]], [[Gilding|gilded bronze]], 7th century
}}

The introduction of [[Buddhism]] to Japan is attributed to the [[Baekje]] king [[Seong of Baekje|Seong]] in 538, exposing Japan to a new body of religious doctrine. The [[Soga clan]], a Japanese court family that rose to prominence with the ascension of the [[Emperor Kinmei]] about 531, favored the adoption of Buddhism and of governmental and cultural models based on [[China|Chinese]] [[Confucianism]]. But some at the Yamato court—such as the [[Nakatomi clan|Nakatomi family]], which was responsible for performing [[Shinto]] rituals at court, and the [[Mononobe clan|Mononobe]], a military clan—were set on maintaining their prerogatives and resisted the alien religious influence of Buddhism. The Soga introduced Chinese-modeled fiscal policies, established the first national treasury, and considered the kingdoms of Korea as trade partners rather than as objects of territorial expansion. Acrimony continued between the Soga and the Nakatomi and Mononobe clans for more than a century, during which the Soga temporarily emerged ascendant.

In the [[Taika Reform]], the Funeral Simplification Edict was proclaimed, and the building of large ''kofun'' ([[tumulus|tumuli]]) was banned. The edict also regulated size and shape of ''kofun'' by classes.<ref name="FRD"/> As a result, later ''kofun'', though much smaller, were distinguished by elaborate frescoes. Paintings and decorations in those ''kofun'' indicate the spread of Taoism and Buddhism in this period; the [[Takamatsuzuka Kofun]] and [[Kitora Tomb|Kitora Kofun]] are notable for their wall paintings.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}}

The use of elaborate [[kofun]] tombs by the [[Imperial Household of Japan|imperial family]] and other elite thus fell out of use amidst the rise of prevailing new Buddhist beliefs, which put greater emphasis on the transience of human life. Commoners and the elite in outlying regions, however, continued to use kofun until the late seventh century, and simpler but distinctive tombs continued in use throughout the following period.<ref name="FRD"/>

In 675 the use of [[livestock]] and the consumption of some wild animals (horse, cattle, dogs, monkeys, birds) was banned by [[Emperor Tenmu]] due to the influence of Buddhism.<ref>Hisao Nagayama. 「たべもの江戸史」 新人物往来社, 1976. {{ISBN|4309473105}} p. 66. 『、「牛馬犬猿鶏の宍(肉)を食うことなかれ」の殺生禁断の令は有名拍車をかけたのが仏教の影響である。』</ref> This ban was renewed throughout the Asuka period, but ended with the Heian period. The pest animals, deer and [[wild boar]], were not affected by this ban.<ref>Kiichi Koyanagi. 「日本人の食生活 : 飢餓と豊饒の変遷史」 Tōkyō : Shibata shoten, 1971.</ref>

==Influence of Taoism==
[[File:Dragon head Pitcher former Horyuji.JPG|thumb|upright=0.6|A dragon-head pitcher with [[Pegasus]] pattern incised, [[Gilding|gilded]] bronze with silver, Asuka period, 7th century, former [[Horyu-ji]] Temple treasures, [[Tokyo National Museum]]]]
[[File:Hokke Sesso Bronze Plaque Hasedera.JPG|thumb|Bronze plaque depicting [[Shaka Nyorai|Shaka]] delivering a sermon, dated 698 AD, [[Hase-dera]] Temple, Sakurai, Nara]]
Taoism was also introduced during the Asuka period. The octagonal shape of monarchs' tombs of this age and the celestial maps drawn in the Kitora and Takamatsuzuka ''kofun'' reflect the Taoist cosmology.

Taoist belief was eventually amalgamated with Shintō and Buddhism to establish new styles of rituals. {{Nihongo|[[Onmyōdō]]|陰陽道}}, a sort of Japanese [[geomancy]] and [[cosmology]], is one of the fruits of these religious mixtures. While the Asuka period started with conflicts between clans over religious beliefs, later in the period, the imported religions became syncretized with Japan's native folk beliefs.

==Art and architecture==

=== Asuka culture ===
Some architectural structures built in the period still remain today. Wooden buildings at [[Hōryū-ji]], built in the seventh century, show some influence from Chinese and west Asian countries. For instance, the pillars at [[Hōryū-ji]] are similar to the pillars of the [[Parthenon]] of [[ancient Greece]], as seen in their [[entasis]]. The {{Nihongo|five-storied pagoda|五重の塔|go-jū no tō}} is a transformation from the Indian mound-like [[reliquary]] structure called a ''[[stupa]]''. In addition, mural paintings in the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora ''kofun'' dating from the fifth century show strong influence from [[Tang dynasty]] and [[Goguryeo]] wall painting.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dCNioYQ1HfsC&q=kofun+tumuli+korea&pg=PA95| title=Sacred Texts and Buried Treasures: Issues on the Historical Archaeology of Ancient Japan| pages=95| publisher=University of Hawaii Press| isbn=978-0-8248-2030-5| author1=Farris, William Wayne| year=1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1091| title=Complex of Koguryo Tombs| publisher=[[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]]}}</ref>

The Japanese Buddhist sculpture art of this period is believed to have followed the style of the Six Dynasties of China. The characteristics of the sculptures of this age are also referred to as Tori Style, taken from the name of prominent sculptor [[Kuratsukuri Tori]], grandson of Chinese immigrant Shiba Tatto.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| url=http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9380953/Tori-style| title=Tori style| encyclopedia=Britannica Concise| publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> Some of the characteristics of the style include marked, almond-shaped eyes, and symmetrically arranged folds in the clothing. The most striking and distinguishing feature of these sculptures is an expression of the smile that is called the "[[archaic smile]]". [[Hōryū-ji#Kudara Kannon|Kudara Kannon at Hōryū-ji]] is the most prominent Buddhist sculpture from this period.

===Hakuhō culture===
The second stage of [[Buddhist art in Japan|Buddhist art]], coming after the Asuka (cultural) period, is known as the {{Nihongo|[[Hakuho Culture|Hakuhō culture]]|[[:ja:白鳳文化|白鳳文化]]|Hakuhō Bunka}}, and is generally dated from the [[Taika Reform]] (646) until the moving of the capital to Nara in 710. During the latter half of the 8th century, a large number of songs and poems were composed and performed by various ranked people from warriors to the Emperor. The earliest collection of these poems is known as the {{Nihongo|''[[Man'yōshū]]''|万葉集|extra="collection of 10,000 leaves"}}. This includes works by several remarkable poets such as [[Princess Nukata]] and [[Kakinomoto no Hitomaro]]. {{Nihongo|[[Waka (poetry)|''Waka'']]|和歌|extra="Japanese song"}} also emerged as a new form of poetry at this time. This term was coined to distinguish native styles from those imported from China; within the umbrella of ''waka'' poetry, one of the more popular forms is known as {{Nihongo|''tanka''|短歌|extra="short song"}}. It consists of a total of 31 [[Mora (linguistics)#Japanese|Japanese syllables (morae)]] divided over five lines, in the syllabic pattern 5/7/5/7/7.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/japan/asuka/asuka-period.html |first=Taku |last=Kurashige |author2=Rie Yamada |title=Asuka Period |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060206230116/http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/japan/asuka/asuka-period.html |archive-date=2006-02-06 }}</ref>

==Events==
*538: The Korean kingdom of Baekje dispatches a delegation to introduce Buddhism to the Japanese Emperor.
*592: Introduction of Buddhism to the Imperial court, according to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]''
*593: [[Prince Shōtoku]] is assigned as regent of [[Empress Suiko]] and promotes Buddhism with the Soga clan.
*600: Yamato Imperial Court sends the first official Japanese mission to China since 478.
*604: Prince Shōtoku issues a Chinese-style constitution ([[Seventeen-article constitution]]), based on Confucian principles, which ''de facto'' inaugurated the Japanese Empire.
*607: Prince Shōtoku builds the Buddhist temple Hōryūji in Ikaruga.
*645: Soga no Iruka and his father Emishi are killed in the [[Isshi Incident]]. 
**[[Emperor Kōtoku]] ascends to the throne and strengthens imperial power over the aristocratic clans (see [[Taika Reform]]), turning their states into provinces.
*663: The Japanese navy was defeated by the Silla-Tang alliance in [[Battle of Baekgang]], failing to restore Baekje.
*670: {{Nihongo|The first [[Koseki|family registry]]|庚午年籍|Kōgo Nenjaku}} was compiled.
*672: Prince Ōama, later [[Emperor Tenmu]] usurped the throne by winning the {{Nihongo|[[Jinshin War|Jinshin no Ran]]|壬申の乱}} [[civil war]] against [[Emperor Kōbun]].
*689: The [[Asuka Kiyomihara Code]] was proclaimed.
*694: The imperial capital is moved to [[Fujiwara-kyō]], in present-day [[Kashihara]] city.
*701: The [[Taihō Code]] was proclaimed.
*705: The [[Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan]] is founded. It survives to become the oldest known hotel business still in operation, as of 2019.
*708: {{Nihongo|The first Japanese coin|和同開珎|[[Wadōkaichin]]}} was minted.

== See also ==
* [[Tanzan Shrine]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Country study |article=Japan |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html}}

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| list = [[History of Japan]]
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[[Category:6th century in Japan]]
[[Category:6th-century establishments in Japan]]
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[[Category:8th-century disestablishments in Japan]]
[[Category:Tributaries of Imperial China]]