The city of Nara, celebrated as the cradle of Japanese culture, lies in central Honshu, to the south of Lake Biwa, surrounded by hills, forests and fields, with the Nara Basin extending to the south. With its wealth of ancient and historic buildings and its treasures of art, it attracts more than a million visitors every year
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Nara's historic old buildings lie in a particularly beautiful setting of which there are fine views from Mount Mikasayama. The climate varies over the year but in general is mild.
The city retains something of the atmosphere of a small town, and has practically no industry. Its best-known craft products are carved wooden dolls (Nara-ningyo), lacquerware (Nara-shikki), fans (Nara-uchiwa) and ceramics (Akahada-yaki).
History
In the early centuries of the Empire, after its legendary foundation by Jimmu-tenno in the Yamato (Nara) basin, the site of the capital was changed after the death of each ruler: it was only during the reign of the Empress Gemmyo-tenno (661-721), in 710, that a permanent capital was established at Heijokyo (present-day Nara). In accordance with the town-planning principles of the Chinese T'ang era the new town, to the west of the present city center, was laid out on a rectangular grid, modeled on the layout of the Chinese capital of Ch'ang-an. With a total extent of 1 ½mi/ 2kn from north to south and 2 ½mi/ 4.3km from east to west, it was divided into an eastern and a western half by a broad street running south from the Imperial Palace. Nara rapidly developed into the political and cultural center of the country, and its importance was reflected in its population, which even in these early days reached 200,000. It remained the seat of Government for 74 years, giving its name to the Nara period. Under Government direction Japan adopted the Buddhist religion and was strongly influenced by the Chinese art of the T'ang period. Official embassies traveled to China, and monks came from there to teach in Japan, including Ganjin, who was invited by Shomu-tenno in 753. Subsequently various Buddhist sects gained influence in Japan, and Confucianism was also introduced, though on a smaller scale.
During the reign of the Empress Gemmyo-tenno a number of literary works were produced which are still of great value to historians - the "Kojiki", the earliest surviving work with a historical content (though the surviving work is interwoven with legend), in 712; the "Fudoki", the earliest topography of Japan, written in Chinese script, in 713; the "Nihon-shoki", a Japanese chronicle based on Chinese models, in 720. The "Manyoshu", the oldest surviving anthology of poetry (4173 poems), was also produced during this period.
The Nara period reached its climax in the reign of Shomu-tenno (701-756), who commissioned the Daibutsu, a bronze statue of Buddha 52ft/ 16m high. The spread of Buddhism was promoted by an Imperial edict providing for the construction of provincial temples (kokobunji), and a special Government agency (the Shakyoshi) was set up to produce copies of Buddhist writings. Chinese influence led to the building of large temple complexes, and sculpture and painting were strongly influenced by Chinese forms and techniques, which themselves incorporated elements taken over from Indian culture. While the sculpture of the Suiko period (552-645) was still marked by severity and rigidity, the work now produced showed softer forms. Such influences are particularly evident in the Tempyo (Late Nara) period.
In 784 Kammu-tenno (737-806) transferred the capital from Nara to Nagaoka in order to put an end to the strong influence exerted on State policies by the Buddhist Priesthood; but although Nara thus lost its political importance it has remained to this day Japan's leading center of culture. In the course of time the town moved gradually eastward, so that the historic nucleus of Nara now lies on the outskirts of the modern city. Since 1974 Nara has been twinned with the Chinese town of Xian, the ancient Ch'ang-an.
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