Overlay Maps of Japan's 8th Century Capitals

By the beginning of the 6th Century, Japan had begun to import continental cultural influences on a large scale. During the 7th Century, Buddhism, the wide-spread use of written language, and the adoption of Chinese style legal codes and government institutions expanded rapidly. It was in the 8th Century that the Ritsuryō or Statutory Government System, based on Confucian principles and a Chinese model, reached its apex. Within this hundred year period, this government built and occupied four purpose-built capital cities as well as three short-term imperial seats that were never expanded into full fledged cities. It was during this century that Japan took its place in the community of nations. It was a period little marred by the civil strife that characterized so much of Japan’s history, it was a period of internationalism not again achieved until the 19th Century, and it was a period of cultural flowering, not, perhaps, as refined as the succeeding Heian Period, but one which in many ways made the high culture of the succeeding period possible.

Prior to 694, the seats of the Japanese government were small enough to move from location to location as new palaces were built, often at the time when a new emperor ascended the throne. In the 8th Century, the expanding government resulted in the building of 4 capital cities, planned and laid out in the Chinese manner.

("Expanding government" may be too mild a phrase to describe conditions in Japan's 8th century. At that time, the power of the Emperor was at its apex. Although the traditional clans never lost all of their influence to sway important issues, he (or she, because 4 -- 5, if you count the double reign of Koken / Shōtoku -- were women) had more independent power than ever before or since, even in the 20th century, when other people exercised considerable power in the Emperor's name. Following the Japanese interpretation of the Chinese model, the Emperor owned all of the land and all the people. Taxation rates were set by imperial decree, and citizens were also required to transport the taxes (usually rice) to the Emperor's abode. They were also conscripted as soldiers, craftsmen, and laborers, not only to do all the building, but to be servants not only in the imperial household, but also in the households of whatever nobility the Emperor chose to reward. It is my opinion that these excesses, particularly the extravagant building of Shōmu and Kammu, were so inherently unfair and depleted the country's resources to such an extent, that the actual functioning of the Ritsuryō or Statutory Government System imploded so rapidly in the following century.)

It should perhaps be noted that these cities were the only cities in a rural country, and that they lacked any economic infrastructure of independent merchants and craftsman. It is fair to say that most of their residents were either government officials and their dependents or commoners attached to their households.

Four Planned Cities

 
    • Fujiwara Kyō 694-710 藤原京 (Kashihara)
    • Heijō Kyō 710-784 平城京 (Nara)
    • Nagaoka Kyō 784-794 長岡京 (Nagaoka)
    • Heian Kyō 794-1868 平安京 (Kyoto)

Three Short-term Imperial Seats

    • Kuni Kyō 740-744恭仁京 (Kamo Chō)
    • Naniwa Kyō 744-745 難波京 (Osaka)
    • Shigaraki Gūshi or Miya 745 紫香楽宮　(Shigaraki)

Each folder contains an overlay of the clearest map I could find of the 4 cities and 2 of the 3 short term imperial seats used briefly (740-5) in the Nara Period. A few have smaller detail maps. Most have placemarks of features I used to align the maps and links to a bird's eye rendering of the capital. Locations are best viewed by using the radial buttons to view each capital individually, by sliding the opacity of the overlay maps up and down, and by clicking on placemarks one at a time or as a small group.
"Kyō" [ 京 ] (pronounced with an extended or double "o") means "capital," and is found in the modern names Kyōto and Tōkyō. While Fujiwara Kyō, Heijō Kyō, Nagaoka Kyō, and Heian Kyō were cities laid out in regular grid patterns in the Chinese style, Kuni Kyō, Naniwa Kyō, and Shigaraki Miya were never planned cities, or at least never built, except perhaps in the vicinities of the imperial palaces. Sources of overlay maps are linked with each overlay. Names in Japanese are included so they may be pasted into searches.

Note: A supplementary post called ”Heian Kyū Overlays” about the Heian Greater Imperial Palace has been prepared for this post. It explores how the Ritsuryō System of government that gave rise to all of the capital cities built in the 8th century reached its fullest architectural expression. You can find a download link to it in the placemark called “Daidairi” in the Heian Kyō folder of this post.

Download File

Post last revised March 10, 2023.