Nara period

are syllabaries used to write Japanese phonological units, morae. In current usage, kana most commonly refers to hiragana and katakana. It can also refer to their ancestor , which were Chinese characters used phonetically to transcribe Japanese (e.g. ''man'yōgana); and hentaigana'', which are historical variants of the now-standard hiragana.

8th century book of classical Japanese history

historical medieval period of Japan from CE 710 to 794

thumb|right|80px|alt=Two vertical lines of Japanese text written in calligraphy, read right to left. The first character has smaller, simpler red characters written around it.|A replica of a poem  8, by Princess Nukata|Nukata no Ōkimi The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is today widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, although numerous other theories have been p

is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions, including one initiated by Minamoto Yoritomo in 1181 (entrusted to Chogen, a monk of the Jodo sect) which included the standardization of existing buildings and the strengthening of visible pillars. Since then, one of the

is an ancient writing system that uses Chinese characters to represent the Japanese language. It was the first known kana system to be developed as a means to represent the Japanese language phonetically. The date of the earliest usage of this type of kana is not clear, but it was in use since at least the mid-7th century. The name "man'yōgana" derives from the ''Man'yōshū, a Japanese poetry anthology from the Nara period written with man'yōgana.''

is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō (767–822), also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism to Japan from China. The temple complex has undergone several reconstruction efforts since then, with the most significant (that of the main hall) taking place in 1642 under Tokugawa Iemitsu. Enryaku-ji is the headquarters of the Tendai sect and one of the most significant monasteries in Japanese history. As such, it is part of the UNESCO World Heri

thumb|Groundplan of Heijō-kyō thumb|Closer map of the major sites of Heijō-kyō was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara).

is a Shinto shrine in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the shrine of the Fujiwara family, established in 768 CE and rebuilt several times over the centuries. The interior is famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns that lead up to the shrine.

thumb|Daisen Kofun, the largest of all kofun, one of many tumuli in the [[Mozu kofungun, Sakai, Osaka Prefecture (5th century)]] are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. Kofun were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.

thumb|right|Chōdō-in () of Nagaoka-kyō (restoration model)

imperial residence in the Japanese capital city Heijō-kyō (today's Nara), during most of the Nara period

major smallpox epidemic that afflicted much of Japan

840 Book by Fujiwara no Otsugu, Minamoto no Tokiwa and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa

is a general term for Japan's Six National Histories chronicling the mythology and history of Japan from the earliest times to 887. The six histories were written at the imperial court during the 8th and 9th centuries, under order of the Emperors. The basic sources were the court records kept by the Ministry of Central Imperial Affairs, and the biographies of meritorious officials composed in the Ministry of Ceremonial Affairs.

Japanese ancient castle in Akita city, Akita prefecture

The is the earliest extant anthology of literary Sinitic poetry (kanshi) written by Japanese poets.

Castle ruins in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan

was the capital of Japan between 740 and 744, with its imperial palace (恭仁宮 Kuni-kyū or Kuni no miya) built in what is now the Kamo neighborhood of the city of Kizugawa in Kyoto Prefecture. The ruins of the palace overlap with the ruins of , and both were collectively designated as a National Historic Site of Japan in 1957, with the area under protection expanded in 2007.

historical Minority Group Inhabiting Southern Kyushu

was a historical Japanese capital city, located in present-day central Osaka city.

thumb|Kōhaku namasu Thin strips of pickled daikon radish and carrot is a Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced uncooked (nama) vegetables and seafood, marinated in rice vinegar (su) for several hours, pickling them slightly. Namasu was brought to Japan from China during the Nara period (710-794).

short-lived and unsuccessful Nara period military confrontation in Japan

war in Japan

720–721 rebellion in Kyushu against the Yamato dynasty of Japan

historical text that categorizes and chronologizes the events listed in the Six National Histories of Japan

thumb|right|280px|Hokke-ji gardens

type of blue-gray pottery from Japan and Korea

8th century Japanese stele

stone memorial in Japan

Japanese pottery

archaic kana orthography system used to write Japanese during the Nara period

The is a log of fragrant agarwood currently placed in the Shōsōin repository in the Tōdai-ji. The wood was first imported into Japan during the Nara period in the 8th century. It is considered a famous piece of incense wood due to its proximity and circumstance of the spread of Japanese Buddhism. It is claimed to have been placed in the repository by Empress Kōmyō in memory of Emperor Shōmu.

stone monuments in Japan

The system was an institution developed by the Japanese Imperial court in Nara during the Nara and early Heian periods for the conscription and regulation of local paramilitary or militia forces. The kondei system was divided into regional administrative divisions overseen by .

Eastern dialect of Japanese during Nara period

was a Buddhist temple located in the city of Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. The temple is now in ruins, and its former precincts were designated a National Historic Site in 1941, with the designation changed to a Special National Historic Site in 1952. The site was opened to the public as one of Japan's first archaeological parks in 1965.

Japanese clan record

ancient barrier (seki) of Japan