The Asuka period is the stretch of Japanese history named after the Asuka region of present-day Nara Prefecture, where the imperial court was based. It is traditionally said to have begun with the introduction of Buddhism from the Korean kingdom of Baekje. Prince Shōtoku, regent for Empress Suiko, promoted Buddhism, issued a seventeen-article constitution, introduced a system of court ranks and sent embassies to Sui China. After the overthrow of the powerful Soga clan, the Taika Reforms of 645, modeled on the Tang dynasty, strengthened the central state, and the Taihō Code of 701 completed this legal framework. The temple of Hōryū-ji, among the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world, dates from this time. The period ended with the move of the capital to Heijō-kyō, Nara.
Before and after
- from June 533 CE to March 534 CEVandalic War
- from 535 CE to 554 CEGothic War of 535–554
- 536 CEThe volcanic winter of 536
- 537 CEConstruction of Hagia Sophia
- from 538 CE to 710 CEAsuka period
- 540 CEBirth of Gregory I
- from 541 CE to 750 CEPlague of Justinian
- from November 542 CE to March 543 CESiege of Naples
- 6th centuryConstruction of Basilica of San Vitale
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 802 CEConstruction of Angkor Wat
- from 2 February 962 CE to 6 August 1806Holy Roman Empire
- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
- 1193Origins of Chernobyl
- from 29 July 1299 to 17 November 1922Ottoman Empire
- 1373Construction of Leaning Tower of Pisa
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 6th century.