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Period: 14,000 BCE to 300 BCE
The Jomon Period
It was approximately around this time period when the first settlements began to appear in Japan. These were the first Japanese people recorded in history, and they were not very civilized. They followed the way of life and traditions of most other tribal societies around the world, mostly hunting, gathering, and fishing to survive. -
Period: 300 BCE to 250
The Yayoi Period
This period marks the birth and early rudimentary stages of a civilized society in Japan. The Yayoi Period is most well-known for the development of rice cultivation across the country. Over this period, the people of Japan transitioned from a hunter-gatherer civilization to an increasingly sedentary and agricultural one. Social hierarchies and clans were born. -
Period: 250 to 538
The Kofun Period
The Kofun Period is special because it is characterized by the increase of centralization and unification of Japan into a single government, the Yamato state which ruled from the modern-day Nara prefecture. The rise of Yamato resulted in the development of trade routes, the Imperial Court, and massive "Kofun" tombs. -
538
Introduction of Buddhism
Buddhism is introduced to Japan from Baekje, one of the kingdoms in the Korean peninsula. The religion spread throughout the population by Korean immigrants and Japanese clans who adopted it. Over time, it would quickly overtake Shinto as the primary religion of Japan. This year also marks the beginning of the Asuka period, which is characterized by the influence of Buddhism and China on the Japanese government and society. -
Period: 538 to 710
The Asuka Period
The beginning of the Asuka period is marked by the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. This period is important to Japanese history because the growth of Buddhism and influence of China resulted in a significant change shift in Japanese art, politics, and culture. The period is named after the town of Asuka in the Nara prefecture, where the Japanese Imperial Court used to live. -
593
The Soga Clan Takes Over The Government
In 593, the Soga clan took over the Japanese government. The regent, Prince Shōtoku, was the de-facto ruler of Japan during this time. Over the next few decades, he promoted Buddhism and made it the official state religion, building many temples across the country. He sought to bring peace and unity to Japan. He also publicized a seventeen-article constitution. -
645
Taika Reforms
The Soga clan fell from power during 645 AD after the Isshi Incident, a coup d'etat staged by the Nakatomi clan aiming to assassinate many important Soga clan members and to take over the Japanese government. Shortly afterwards, the Taika Reforms were introduced by the new Nakatomi emperor. Influenced by Chinese philosophy and government structure, the reforms resulted in increased centralization of the Imperial Court and changed many other aspects of Japanese law, such as land ownership. -
Period: 710 to 794
The Nara Period
An important period in Japanese history, the capital was moved to a brand new palace in the modern-day city of Nara, and new art such as books were created. Japan was ravaged by natural disasters and diseases. Buddhism was further promoted by the government, and it was growing faster than ever, with new temples being built. It ended in 794 when the capital was moved to Heian-kyo, modern-day Kyoto. -
Period: 794 to 1185
Heian Period
Began when the capital of Japan was moved to Heian-kyo. Japan experienced peace and prosperity during this period. This era is considered to be the peak and decline of Nakatomi and Imperial Court power. This era is also characterized by the development of architecture and literature in Japan, as well as the rise of two samurai clans - Taira and Minamoto. -
1159
Heiji Rebellion
Over the Heian period, the two clans, Taira and Minamoto had surpassed the Japanese Imperial Court in power. Two rival claimants to the throne had a dispute and each resorted to hiring one of the clans to take power by force. Taira won over Minamoto in 1159, and Taira Kiyomori decided to take power for himself, making clan Taira the ruler of Japan. This marks the beginning of the shogunate - a military dictatorship that would rule Japan for centuries. -
1192
Genpei War and the Kamakura Shogunate
In 1180, the Minamoto clan began an uprising against Taira resulting in a civil war. In 1185, the Minamoto clan won over the Taira clan and took the throne. In 1192, the emperor appointed Minamoto Yoritomo as the shogun, marking the beginning of the Kamakura Shogunate. At this point, the Imperial Court had lost most of its power, and was just a shadow of what it once used to be, with the emperor being only a political figurehead. This marks the beginning of feudalism and the "daimyo" in Japan. -
1274
Mongol Invasions
The Mongol Empire, ruled by khagan Kublai Khan, founder and emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, tried to invade Japan on two occasions, once in 1274 and another in 1281. Both invasions failed mostly because of samurai resistance and poor weather conditions. If the Mongols managed to conquer Japan, the butterfly effect would likely have a big effect on Japanese history. -
1333
Kenmu Restoration
The Kamakura Shogunate is overthrown in 1333 by Emperor Go-Daigo. The Japanese Imperial Court in Heian-kyo retook control of Japan from the shogunate. However, this period would be very short-lived, lasting only three years until it was once again overthrown by the samurai in 1336. -
1336
Ashikaga Shogunate
In 1336, samurai who were dissatisfied with emperor Go-Daigo rebelled against him. One samurai named Ashikaga Takauji captured the Imperial capital of Heian-kyo (Kyoto), and installed a different emperor who appointed him shogun. Go-Daigo fled and set up a new Imperial Court in the south. The Northern Court and Southern Court would be rivals until 1392, when the Ashikaga-backed Northern Court won against the Southern Court. -
1477
Kyoto Is Destroyed
Japan had descended into total chaos. The Onin War began in 1467, over a dispute regarding the succession of the Ashikaga shogunate. The daimyos, Japanese feudal lords, fought with each other and ended up burning down Kyoto. This began the Sengoku period, which was an epoch of constant war and intrigue between daimyos which would last until 1615. By 1477, the shogunate no longer had any control over the daimyos. This period marks the rise of the ninja. -
1543
The Portuguese Arrive
This is the first time when a western civilization came into contact with Japan. A Portuguese merchant ship landed on the island of Tanegashima by accident, and ended up introducing many new technologies such as clocks and gunpowder firearms. They also introduced the religion of Christianity to the Japanese population. -
1568
Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu
A powerful daimyo named Oda Nobunaga captured the capital of Kyoto in 1568, planning to reunite Japan. In 1582, he was betrayed and killed by one of his own generals. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, another general of Nobunaga, ended up avenging him and finished reuniting Japan in 1590. Hideyoshi tried to invade Korea, failed, and died in 1598. A daimyo named Tokugawa Ieyasu took over the country in 1600 and was appointed shogun, once again creating another shogunate. -
Period: to
The Edo Period
Japan, under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate, went through very significant changes. Christianity was banned, and priests and Christians were heavily persecuted. In 1635, Japan shifted to a strict isolationist policy, preventing anybody from leaving or entering the country. Trade was heavy regulated, and only open to Korea, China, and the Dutch. Despite being oppressive, the shogunate built lots of infrastructure, increased agriculture and literacy. The population doubled to 30 million. -
The Meiji Restoration
In 1854, Matthew C. Perry, Commodore of the US Navy, demanded Japan to open their ports for trade. The Tokugawa shogunate yielded to the demands and ended their isolationist policy, opening trade to the US and other western powers. Many Japanese were unhappy with this decision. Two clans, Choshu and Satsuma joined in an alliance and began a revolution against the shogunate. They overthrew Tokugawa and installed emperor Meiji on the throne. The imperial capital was moved to Edo, modern-day Tokyo. -
Japanese Imperialism
Japan invaded the Korean peninsula in 1894, ruled by the Chinese Qing dynasty at the time, in the Sino-Japanese war. Japan then began a war with Russia and won in 1905. After these two wars, Japan solidified itself as a major world power. Japan also conquered many islands in the Pacific including Taiwan during World War I. -
World War II
Japan continued to expand their borders in World War II, allying themselves with the axis. They invaded China and conquered many Asian countries until they were stopped in 1945 after the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan was forced to surrender, give up all their conquered land, and dismantle their military. A new democratic government was put in power, and the country went through significant economic and education reforms.
