Historical secrets of the Land of the Rising Sun

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The first settlements on the territory of modern Japan appeared about 40,000 years ago, but the first reliable references to states and rulers date back only to the first century AD. At that time, the Japanese were engaged in the cultivation of rice and blacksmithing, which they learned from the Chinese. The further history of the country is divided into periods.

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The Kofun period

By the end of the third century the individual clans had united into a kind of federated state with a single emperor who chose a new capital at the beginning of his reign. In the sixth century Buddhism spread widely and soon became the state religion. In 701 a unified body of law was drawn up, in existence until the adoption of the constitution, and in 710 the permanent capital of Heijo-kyo (modern Nara) was founded. 

The Nara and Heian period

This period dates back to the founding of the capital of Heijo. At this time the influence of Buddhism increased to such an extent that, in order to avoid increasing the influence of religion on the imperial family, the capital was moved back to the city of Heian, where no Buddhist temple was built. 

Japan was in fact ruled by the Fujiwara clan. For many years it consolidated its power through kinship until Emperor Gosanjo, who had no kinship with the clan, handed power over to his minor son, ruling the country from a monastery. Other rulers did the same until 1156.

At the end of the ninth century Japan ended its official relations with China, which had previously been a kind of Asian “benchmark,” contributing to the development of a Japanese culture that was different from others.

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Kamakura period

Since the twelfth century, the provincial military clans had a growing influence on the life of the state, leading to a war between the two of them, the Taira and Minamoto. Initially the former dominated, but the head of Minamoto eliminated his rivals, leading to the establishment of a dual polity in the country, the foundation of the shogunate in the city of Kamakura. 

In 1274 and 1281 the Mongols attempted to invade Japan, but both times they failed due to weather conditions. After the storm in 1281 and the word “kamikaze,” which translates to “divine wind destroying enemies,” came about.

Muromachi period

Discord between the emperor and his associates in 1333 leads to a division of the state and the establishment of the Southern Court centered in Yoshino and the Northern Court centered in Kyoto. At this time Japan was actually ruled by two emperors. Due to the weakening of the state, military provincial clans start a war, which leads to the removal of a unified government and the establishment of feudal fragmentation for 100 years. At the same time, Europeans enter the islands, converting some Japanese to Christianity. 

The Ajuchi-Mamoyama Period

The period of feudal fragmentation ended with the expulsion of the last shogun of the Northern Court by the unifier of Japan, Oda Nobunaga. After his death, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued to unify Japan. He conquered the Northern Province and the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, and expelled Christian missionaries. Hideyoshi dreamed of conquering China and Korea, but Japan’s military aggression went away with his death.

Edo period

The unification of Japan was finally completed in the early seventeenth century under Tokugawa Leyasu, founder of the last shogun dynasty. He introduced a five-class system for the population. The shogunate then expelled all Europeans from the country, and in 1639 Japan entered a period of voluntary isolation that lasted until the nineteenth century, when the English officer Perry forced the shogunate to hand over control of the country to the emperor. The isolation had a positive effect on Japan’s cultural development, but it hit its economy hard.

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Meiji period

During this period the emperor carried out new reforms: Tokyo became the capital city, the five-class system was abolished, freedom of religion was declared, primary education became compulsory. Japan opens its borders to foreigners; trade and transportation in the country are actively developing. In 1889 a constitution and the first parliament were established. 

The policy of militarism leads to numerous wars, conflicts with Russia and China. Only after unconditional surrender at the end of World War II, Japan “cooled its ardor. For some time the state was “under the supervision” of the United States. But in 1952, the Peace Treaty was signed, and Japan began to establish relations with the USSR and China. Now Japan is an important player on the world stage, with whose economy many countries have to reckon with.