To visit Nara without understanding its history is to see the surface of something extraordinarily deep. The temples are beautiful regardless, the deer are charming, and the park is pleasant. But the meaning of what you are seeing — why this particular collection of buildings and landscapes exists, what they represent in the development of Japanese civilisation, and why they still matter — requires at least a basic grasp of the city's place in the larger story of Japan.
Nara was Japan's first permanent capital, established in 710 CE and serving as the seat of government until 784 CE. In those 74 years, the foundations of Japanese culture — its state religion, its legal system, its artistic traditions, its architectural language, its literary culture — were laid with an ambition and sophistication that continue to shape the country today. Understanding this period transforms a visit to Nara from sightseeing into historical engagement.
Before Nara: The Asuka Period (538–710 CE)
Before Nara became the capital, the political centre of Japan shifted among various locations in the Yamato Basin, south of the present city. This period — the Asuka period — saw the introduction of Buddhism from the Korean peninsula (traditionally dated to 538 or 552 CE), the establishment of the first Buddhist temples, and the creation of a centralised government modelled on Chinese precedents.
Key figures of this period include:
**Prince Shotoku** (574–622 CE): The regent who championed Buddhism, built Horyuji temple, and sent envoys to China to learn statecraft and culture. His influence on Japanese history is comparable to Charlemagne's on European history — he shaped the institutional foundations of a civilisation.
**Empress Suiko** (554–628 CE): Japan's first officially recognised female sovereign, who supported Shotoku's reforms and presided over a period of cultural transformation.
The Asuka period produced Japan's earliest surviving architecture (at Horyuji), its first written constitution (Shotoku's Seventeen-Article Constitution), and the institutional framework that would be formalised in the Nara period.
The Nara Period (710–784 CE)
**Establishing the Capital**
In 710 CE, Empress Genmei moved the capital to a new city — Heijo-kyo (present-day Nara) — built on a grid plan modelled on Chang'an, the Tang Dynasty capital of China. The new capital was enormous for its time: approximately 5km by 5km, with a population estimated at 100,000–200,000 people.
The city's design expressed a cosmological vision: the imperial palace at the north, the great temples flanking the grid, wide avenues radiating south. It was an assertion that Japan was a civilised state, comparable in ambition and sophistication to its continental neighbours.
**Buddhism as State Religion**
The Nara period saw Buddhism become the official religion of the Japanese state. Emperor Shomu (701–756 CE), the most significant ruler of the period, ordered the construction of Todai-ji and its Great Buddha as the spiritual centre of a nationwide network of provincial temples. His goal was ambitious: to use Buddhism as a unifying force for the nation, creating a religious infrastructure that paralleled the political one.
The six great temples of Nara — Todai-ji, Kofuku-ji, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Toshodai-ji, and Daian-ji — were established during this period, along with numerous smaller institutions. These temples were not merely religious centres but intellectual hubs, housing libraries, schools, and workshops that produced art of extraordinary quality.
**International Connections**
Nara was cosmopolitan in a way that might surprise modern visitors. The Silk Road's eastern terminus effectively reached the city through maritime routes via China and Korea. The Shosoin Repository at Todai-ji contains objects from Persia, Central Asia, India, and China — evidence of a trading network that connected Nara to the wider world.
Foreign scholars, monks, and artisans were present in the capital. The Chinese monk Ganjin, who founded Toshodai-ji, made six perilous attempts to reach Japan before succeeding in 753 CE, arriving blind from the hardships of his journey. His determination illustrates the importance that both Japan and China placed on cultural exchange.
**Cultural Achievements**
The Nara period produced several landmarks of Japanese culture:
**The Manyoshu**: Japan's earliest surviving poetry anthology, containing over 4,500 poems from all levels of society — emperors, soldiers, peasants, and lovers. It remains one of the foundational texts of Japanese literature.
**Buddhist sculpture**: The Nara period was the golden age of Japanese Buddhist art, producing works in bronze, dry lacquer, clay, and wood that remain the country's artistic masterpieces.
**Legal codification**: The Taiho Code and Yoro Code established a legal and administrative system based on Chinese models, creating the governmental framework that would endure (in modified forms) for centuries.
**The End of Nara**
By the late 8th century, the Buddhist temples had accumulated such political and economic power that they threatened the authority of the imperial court. In 784 CE, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital — first briefly to Nagaoka-kyo, then permanently to Heian-kyo (Kyoto) in 794 CE — partly to escape the temples' influence.
Nara's political importance declined sharply, but its religious and cultural significance endured. The great temples continued to function, maintaining the artistic and spiritual traditions established during the city's golden age. This continuity is what makes Nara remarkable today: the institutions and buildings that you see are not reconstructions of a dead past but the living continuation of a tradition that has operated without interruption for over twelve centuries.
After the Capital: 800–1600 CE
The centuries after the capital's departure were marked by cycles of destruction and renewal. Civil wars in the 12th and 16th centuries destroyed much of Todai-ji and other major temples, which were subsequently rebuilt. The Kamakura period (1185–1333) saw a revival of artistic production, including the work of the sculptor Unkei, whose guardian figures at Todai-ji's Nandaimon are among the most powerful in Japanese art.
Throughout these upheavals, Nara's temples maintained their function as centres of Buddhist learning, artistic production, and cultural preservation. The Shosoin Repository, sealed since the 8th century, survived intact through every conflict — a testament to the reverence in which the city's heritage was held.
Modern Nara
The Meiji Restoration (1868) brought dramatic changes. The separation of Shinto and Buddhism led to the destruction of some Buddhist structures and the redistribution of temple lands. Many of Nara's deer, previously protected by religious custom, were killed during a period of declining reverence.
Recovery came gradually. The designation of the deer as National Natural Treasures (1957) and the inscription of Nara's Historic Monuments as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998) formalised protections that had existed informally for centuries. Today, Nara's heritage is managed as a living resource — not frozen in time but maintained through continuing practice, restoration, and cultural engagement.
Why This Matters for Visitors
Understanding Nara's history transforms the visit in several ways:
**Todai-ji** becomes not just a big building with a big Buddha but the expression of a young state's ambition to use religion as a unifying force — an ambition that required unprecedented economic and artistic effort.
**Horyuji** becomes not just the oldest wooden building in the world but the physical evidence of the moment when Japanese civilisation began to take permanent form.
**The deer** become not just photogenic wildlife but the living remnants of a sacred relationship between humans and nature that has been maintained for twelve centuries.
**Naramachi** becomes not just a charming old neighbourhood but the descendant of the merchants who served the great temples, continuing a commercial and cultural tradition that predates most European cities.
This context does not require academic knowledge. It requires only the awareness that what you are seeing in Nara has depth — that every building, every sculpture, every tree in the ancient forest carries a weight of history that rewards even a basic understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
**Was Nara really Japan's first capital?**
Nara (Heijo-kyo) was Japan's first permanent capital, established in 710 CE on a fixed grid plan. Earlier capitals in the Asuka region were less permanent, shifting with each new ruler.
**How old are the oldest things in Nara?**
Horyuji's main hall dates from approximately 670–710 CE. Some objects in the Shosoin Repository are from the 7th and 8th centuries. The deer tradition dates from 768 CE.
**Why did the capital move from Nara to Kyoto?**
Primarily to escape the political influence of Nara's Buddhist temples, which had accumulated enormous power. Emperor Kanmu sought a fresh start free from temple politics.
**Is the original city still visible?**
The Heijo Palace site (Heijo-kyu) has been excavated and partially reconstructed, giving a sense of the capital's scale. The main hall and southern gate have been rebuilt based on archaeological evidence and historical records.
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*Suggested internal link anchors: "Todai-ji" → Todai-ji guide; "Horyuji" → Horyuji guide; "Toshodai-ji" → Toshodai-ji guide; "Shosoin" → Shosoin Exhibition guide; "deer" → Nara deer guide*
*Featured snippet answer: "Nara was Japan's first permanent capital, established in 710 CE and serving until 784 CE. During this period, Buddhism became the state religion, Todai-ji's Great Buddha was created (752 CE), and foundational works of Japanese art, literature, and law were produced. The city's temples have operated continuously for over 1,300 years, making Nara one of the world's most important centres of living cultural heritage."*