Why go
Japan’s early history gives a useful framework for museum collections and temple visits. Jōmon pottery reflects communities before the rise of imperial capitals; Yayoi farming and metalworking mark another transition. Nara and Kyoto then show how Buddhist institutions and court culture reshaped art, architecture and written expression.
The full story
People inhabited the Japanese archipelago long before the written records of its early states. Jōmon communities left decorated clay vessels, settlements and other material that archaeology museums use to reconstruct daily life. The following Yayoi period brought major changes, including wet-rice farming and new metalworking traditions associated with contacts across the surrounding seas. Buddhism reached Japan through the Korean kingdom of Baekje and developed with further influence from China. During the Asuka and Nara periods, it became closely connected to political authority and to the creation of large religious buildings and sculpture. The imperial court established its capital at Heijō-kyō, in present-day Nara. After an intervening move, the court settled at Heian-kyō, now Kyoto, in 794. The Heian period became important for poetry, prose and courtly arts, including Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. When planning a visit, allow a museum to explain the objects before using a temple or former capital to understand their wider setting.