Classical Japan

last major division of classical Japanese history (794 to 1185), named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto

historical medieval period of Japan from CE 710 to 794

is the historical legal system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (). Kyaku () are amendments of Ritsuryō, Shiki () are enactments.

The , also known as the Great Council of State, was (i) (Daijō-kan) the highest organ of Japan's premodern Imperial government under the Ritsuryō legal system during and after the Nara period or (ii) (Dajō-kan) the highest organ of Japan's government briefly restored to power after the Meiji Restoration, which was replaced by the Cabinet. In Yamato name it is also called "Ōmatsurigoto-no-Tsukasa" ().

thumb|upright=2|Regions in the 8th century (see below for modern Japanese prefectures) was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyond the Muromachi period (1336–1573), they did remain important geographical entities until the 19th century. The Gokishichidō consisted of five provinces in the Kinai () or capital region, plus seven dō () or circuits, each of which contained provinces of its own.

are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and folklore. Fudoki manuscripts also document local myths, rituals, and poems that are not mentioned in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki chronicles, which are the most important literature of the ancient national mythology and history. In the course of national unification, the imperial court enacted a series of criminal and administrative codes called ritsuryō an

employee class in Japan VIII century

war

kofun in Ikaruga, Nara

In the ancient Japanese government, was the inspection of documents submitted to the tennō (emperor), or the position held by those who performed the inspection.

was a hereditary noble title in Japan, used mainly between the Asuka and Heian periods. At first, it was the second highest, below Mahito, which was given to members of the Imperial family, but after the Heian period it became the highest of the eight noble titles: Ason, Mahito, Sukune, Imiki, Michinoshi, Omi, Muraji, and Inagi.

thumb|210px|right|Katsuogi with chigi on the Nishina Shinmei Shrine or are short, decorative logs used in Japanese and Shinto architecture. They are placed at right angles to the ridgeline of roofs, and are usually featured in religious or imperial architecture. Katsuogi predate Buddhist influence and are an architectural element endemic to Japan. They are often placed on the roof with chigi, a forked ornamentation used on Shinto shrines. Today, katsuogi and chigi are used exclusively on Shinto buildings and can be used to distinguish them from other religious structures, such as Buddhist tem