Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

• World Regions

  All regions

  Select a region

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Central and North Asia
  • East Asia
  • Central America
  • South America
  • Africa
  • West Asia
  • Oceania
  • South and Southeast Asia

  Select a time period

  • 8000–2000 B.C.
  • 2000–1000 B.C.
  • 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.
  • 1–500 A.D.
  • 500–1000 A.D.
  • 1000–1400 A.D.
  • 1400–1600 A.D.
  • 1600–1800 A.D.
  • 1800–1900 A.D.
  • 1900 A.D.–Present
• Timelines

  by Time Period 8,000–2,000 b.c. 2,000–1,000 b.c. 1,000 b.c.–1 a.d. 1–500 a.d. 500–1,000 a.d. 1,000–1400 a.d. 1400–1600 a.d. 1600–1800 a.d. 1800–1900 a.d. 1900 a.d.–present

  by Geographical Region Africa   Central America   Central and North Asia   East Asia   Europe   North America   Oceania   South America   South and Southeast Asia  West Asia

• Thematic Essays
  • Recent Additions  |  All Thematic Essays
  • 
    Select a Thematic Category African Art American Art Ancient Near Eastern Art Art of the Americas Asian Art Byzantine Art Egyptian Art European Art Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Medieval Art Modern and Contemporary Art Oceanic/Pacific Art Prehistory Select a Department American Decorative Arts American Paintings and Sculpture Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas Asian Art The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Education Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art The Libraries Medieval Art and The Cloisters Musical Instruments Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art Objects Conservation Paintings Conservation Paper Conservation Photographs Robert Lehman Collection Scientific Research Textile Conservation

    ---

  • Select a Geographical Region Africa Central America Central and North Asia East Asia Europe North America Oceania South America South and Southeast Asia West Asia All Geographical Regions Select a Time Period 20,000–8000 B.C. 8000–2000 B.C. 2000–1000 B.C. 1000 B.C.–1 A.D. 1–500 A.D. 500–1000 A.D. 1000–1400 A.D. 1400–1600 A.D. 1600–1800 A.D. 1800–1900 A.D. 1900 A.D.–Present All Time Periods
    
• Works of Art
  Recent Additions
  
  

  Title Description
  Artist
  Material and Technique
  Credit Line
  Accession Number

• Index

  Artist (A–Z) | All Artists

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

  ---

  Subject (A–Z)

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

Asuka and Nara Periods (538–794)

• 
  Large jar, late Kofun or Asuka period (ca. 3rd century–710), 6th–7th century
  Japan
  Stoneware with natural ash glaze and comb and cord markings (Sue ware); H. 19 3/5 in. (49.8 cm)
  The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.420)
  
• 
  Segment of a Daihokobutsu Kegongyo (Avatamsaka Sutra), Nara period (710–794), ca. 744
  Unidentified artist
  Japan
  Silver ink on indigo paper; 9 3/4 x 21 1/8 in. (24.8 x 53.7 cm)
  Purchase, Mrs. Jackson Burke Gift, 1981 (1981.75)
  
• 
  Miniature pagoda, early Nara period (710–794; ca. 767)
  Japan
  Wood; H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
  The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.150ab)
  
• 
  Long-necked bottle, Nara period (710–794), 8th century
  Japan
  Stoneware with natural ash glaze and incised decoration (Sue ware); H. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm)
  The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975 (1975.268.425)
  

View SlideshowView Thumbnails

Japan's first historical epoch–the Asuka period, named for the area near Nara where the court resided–coincides with the introduction of Buddhism into the country. This new religion contained many ideas and images that were radically different from the concerns of native Shinto. Along with Buddhism, other important foreign concepts and practices, including the Chinese written language, the practice of recording history, the use of coins, and the standardization of weights and measures–all of which supported the creation of a single-ruler state based on the Chinese model of a centralized, bureaucratic government–were imported from China and Korea. Taken together, these imports had a profound impact on all aspects of Japanese society.

Japan's first historical epoch–the Asuka period, named for the area near Nara where the court resided–coincides with the introduction of Buddhism into the country.

Related

Timelines (3)

• China, 500–1000 a.d.
• Japan, 500–1000 a.d.
• Korea, 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• List of Rulers of Japan
• Shinto
• Tang Dynasty (618–906)

Other Thematic Essays (8)

• Chinese Buddhist Sculpture
• Heian Period (794–1185)
• Japanese Illustrated Handscrolls
• Japanese Incense
• Japanese Weddings in the Edo Period (1615–1868)
• Kings of Brightness in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Art
• Kofun Period (ca. 3rd century–538)
• Lacquerware of East Asia

Maps (1)

• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (9)

Art Movement/Style

• Tang Dynasty of China
• Nara Period of Japan

Geography/Place

• China
• Japan

Subject Matter/Theme

• Buddhism
• Buddhist Architecture
• Buddhist Book
• Buddhist Painting
• Trade (500–1000 a.d.)

Share

| More

Until the eighth century, a new capital city was founded and a new imperial palace constructed each time a new emperor succeeded to the throne. The reorganization of the Japanese court into a more complex system based on the Chinese model, whereby the emperor ruled the entire country through hand-picked governors who administered laws and extracted taxes, intensified the desire for a permanent capital. Heijokyo in Nara was chosen to serve this purpose in 710. Also inspired by Chinese precedent, Japan's first histories, the Kojiki and Nihon shoki, were compiled at this time. Chinese precedent can again be seen in the decision by the Japanese court to adopt Buddhism as the official religion and begin the faith's most active period of imperial patronage, constructing large temples in the capital, as well as many others in the provinces throughout the country.



Only three-quarters of a century after Nara was built at enormous cost, the capital was moved again, motivated at least in part by a desire to escape the burdensome pressure of the Buddhist temples, which had grown wealthy and powerful. The excessive influence and avarice of the Buddhist establishment, the imposition of heavy taxes of rice, products, and corvée labor, and an increase in challenges to the authority of the central government by provincial officials led to social and political unrest in the last decades of this period.

Department of Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Asian Art. "Asuka and Nara Periods (538–794)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/asna/hd_asna.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Mason, Penelope History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. Mizuno, Seiichi Asuka Buddhist Art: Horyu-ji. New York: Weatherhill, 1974. Nishikawa, Kyotaro, and Emily J. Sano. The Great Age of Japanese Buddhist Sculpture, AD 600–1300. Fort Worth: Kimbell Art Museum, 1982. Seckel, Dietrich The Art of Buddhism. New York: Crown, 1964. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)