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10,000 BCE
Jomon period
This period was marked by the presence of hunting and gathering communities. -
300 BCE
Yayoi period
Shift toward a new culture that was probably influenced by immigrants from China and Korea. -
300
Yamato period
The native religion, Shintō, was already in full flower, and its mythology was woven into Yamato claim of suzerainty. -
698
Nara period
The Nara Period marked the incipient stage of the classical era of Japanese history. The Nara Period was also marked by the development of two powerful schools of Buddhism, Tendai and the more esoteric Shingon, and the ascendancy of Buddhism in general. -
1000
Heian period
Considered one of the culturally richest epochs in Japanese history, the Heian Period saw the zenith of court high culture. It also saw the inception of the nascent samurai. -
1300
Kamakura period
Early in the Kamakura Period, the shōgun himself saw his power reduced when the Hōjō family—descendants of a branch of the Taira clan that had allied itself with the Minamoto at the outset of the Genpei War—established a regency that effectively took control of the country out of Minamoto hands.