Imperial capital of Japan during the Asuka period (538?710); now in Nara Prefecture
Asuka
(
飛鳥
)
was the Imperial
capital of Japan
during the
Asuka period
(538 ? 710 AD), which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of
Asuka, Nara Prefecture
.
Etymology
[
edit
]
Some of the many theories of what the place was named after include the bird
common crossbill
, or
isuka
in Japanese, or local geological features, e.g. 洲? (
suka
, meaning sandbar, sandbank or delta) or 崩地 (
asu
) + ? (
ka
).
[1]
[
clarification needed
]
Or it may have been named in honor of Asuka (or Ashuku) Nyorai, the Japanese equivalent of
Akshobhya
, one of the Five Buddhas of Wisdom, who is still worshiped in the
Asuka-dera
(Asuka Temple), the Asuka-niimasu-jinja (the shrine for his manifestation as a Shinto god), and several other structures from those days.
[
citation needed
]
Archaeology
[
edit
]
Archaeology
projects continue to uncover relics from these ruins. Recent discoveries in the area include
Wado coins
, believed to be some of the oldest coins in Japan, and paintings in the
Kitora
and
Takamatsuzuka
Kofun
, or tombs.
The
Ishibutai Kofun
is also located in Asuka. On March 12, 2004, the discovery of the remains of a residence's main building adjacent to the kofun was announced. It is likely that the residence belonged to
Soga no Umako
, who is believed to have been entombed in the kofun.
Access
[
edit
]
Asuka can be reached from either
Okadera Station
or
Asuka Station
on the
Kintetsu
train line, or by car on Route 169.
Imperial palaces
[
edit
]
In the
Asuka period
, various palaces were constructed for each monarch. As soon as one emperor died, the whole court moved to a newly constructed palace, since it was considered dangerous and ominous to remain in a place where a deceased monarch's spirit might reside. Sometimes even during a single emperor's reign, palaces were changed multiple times due to destruction by fire or ill omens. Since these palaces were entirely constructed from wood, none of them have survived, although some archaeological work in modern times has uncovered such remains as stone bases for pillars.
Sakurai was briefly the
capital of Japan
during the reign of
Emperor Ingy?
. The life of the Imperial court was centered at the Palace of
Tohotsu
where the emperor lived in 457?479.
[2]
Other emperors also built palaces at Asuka, including
- Chikatsu-Asuka-Yatsuri
Palace, 485?487
[3]
in reign of
Emperor Kenz?
[4]
- Shikishima no Kanasashi
Palace, 540?571
[5]
in reign of
Emperor Kinmei
[6]
- Toyura
Palace or
Toyura-no-miya
, 593?603
[7]
in the reign of
Empress Suiko
[8]
- Oharida
Palace or
Oharida-no-miya
, 603?629
[7]
in the Suiko's reign
[8]
- Okamoto
Palace or
Okamoto-no-miya
, 630?636
[7]
in the reign of
Emperor Jomei
[9]
- Tanaka
Palace, 636?40
- Umayasaka
Palace, 640
In 640?642, the Imperial court briefly moved to the
Kudara
Palace in
K?ry?, Nara
; then the emperor returned to Asuka where he lived at
- Oharida
Palace, 642?643
- Itabuki
Palace or
Itabuki no miya
, 643?645
[7]
in the reign of
Empress K?gyoku
[9]
In 645?654, the court moved to the
Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki
Palace
in
Osaka
; then the capital moved back to Asuka when the emperor lived at
In 661?667, the court moved to the
Tachibana no Hironiwa
Palace (661?67) in
Asakura, Fukuoka
. Then the court moved again to the
?mi
Palace or
?tsu
Palace (667?72) in ?mi-ky? (today
?tsu, Shiga
). Once more, the court moved back to Asuka at
Asuka was abandoned by
Empress Jit?
when she and her court moved to
Fujiwara-ky?
.
See also
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- Asuka Historical Museum:
[1]
, exterior view
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ikeda Suenori 池田末則, Yokota Kenichi ?田健一 et al. "飛鳥 (Asuka)"
Nara-ken no chimei
奈良?の地名 Heibonsha 平凡社, 1981, p. 263.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 11.
- ^
Nussbaum, Louis-Frederic
. (2005).
"Asuka,"
Japan Encyclopedia
at p. 59.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 14.
- ^
Koch, W. (1904).
Japan; Geschichte nach japanischen Quellen und ethnographische Skizzen. Mit einem Stammbaum des Kaisers von Japan,
p. 13
.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 17.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Asuka Historical Museum,
Palaces of the Asuka Period,"
1995; retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^
a
b
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 20.
- ^
a
b
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 21.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 23.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 24.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 26.
- ^
Ponsonby-Fane, p. 27.
First
|
Capital of Japan
538?710
|
Succeeded by
|
34°28′56″N
135°48′47″E
/
34.48222°N 135.81306°E
/
34.48222; 135.81306