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Buddhism is introduced into Japan
Buddhism originated in India about 2500 years ago. Buddhism was brought to Japan though the Chinese in between the 6th and 9th cebturies. Members of the Japanese emperor court were amoung the first Buddhist converts. In around the 12th century ordinary people accepted the new religion. In Japan Buddhism is one of the most followed religion as well as Shinto -
Period: Jan 1, 710 to
The Nara Period
The Nara period is from 710 AD to 794 AD in Japanese history. This period in which the imperial govenment was at Nara abd Sinicization and Buddhism was most highly developed. Nara was the countries first permanent capital and was modeled on the Chinese T'ang Dynasty capital. New temples were also constructed in the city rather than the rural areas. Temples from this period exhibited monument scale and grandeur that had never been seen and would not be approached again until modern times -
Period: Jan 1, 1180 to Dec 1, 1185
The Genpei War
The Genpei War ran from 1180 to 1185, it was a conflict between Taira and Minamoto clans, this was during the late Heia period of Japan. The Taira Clan lost the war and after this the establishment of Kamakura Shogunate began and finished in 1192. Also in this year Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun of the new establishment. The clans (Taira and Minamoto) were fighting for the control of Japan. -
Jan 1, 1192
Minamoto no Yoritomo becomes Shogun
Minamoto no Yoritomo became shogun at the age of thirteen. he was the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199. He became shogun after he defeated the Taira clan in the Genpei War. In 1199 after Minamoto no Yoritomo died his eldest son Yori'ie became the second Kamakura shogun. After he died his brother Sanetomo took over the shogun postion. -
Jan 1, 1274
Mongol attacks Japan
The mongols attacked Japan in 1274 and 1281. These were major efforts undertaken by Kublai Khan to conquer the Japanese islands. The mongols lost both times and lost about 75% of their troops and supplies both times in the ocean because of the major storms. The mongols were an early example of gunpowder warfare, they mostly used explosive bombs. -
Jan 1, 1542
Portuguese Merchants first arrive in Japan
The Portuguese Merchants first arrived in Japan in 1542 AD. They came to Japan because they wanted to locate new trades and expanding the largest and longest-lasting empire in history -
Period: Jan 1, 1568 to
The Golden Age Of Castle Construction
The golden age of castle construction was between 1568 and 1616. The castles of this time were very detailed bulidings. Most were built on plains not mountains. The castls had a moat, solid stone foundations, huge stone walls and watchtowers. Almost every castle had a steep sloping road going to the main gateway and lots of other gates to go though when trying to escape. The samurai (warriors) defenders could fire arrows or muskets through narrow slits and from the top of the castle walls. -
May 1, 1570
Japanese adopt Chinese script
The Japanese adopted Chinese script called Kanji in the 5th century (1570) via Korea. Kanji is one of the three scripts used in the Japanese language, they are Chinese characters. Each character means something different. There are more than ten thousand characters but only 2136 characters have been officially declared as the Kanji for everyday use. -
Period: to Jan 1, 1185
The Heian Period
The Heian period is the last divison of Japanese history running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-Kyoō (present today kyōtō). This was considered a high point in Japanese culture that later generations have always admired. This period was also known for the rise of the samurai class, which would eventually take power and start the feudal period of Japan
