Photo by the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan (mosaicked
and retouched).
With the beauty of green (tiled roofs)
and vermilion (pillars), The imperial city of Nara is now in its glory, Like the brilliance of flowers in full bloom. |
— By Ono-no-Oyu, Man’yō-shū No.
328. |
Man’yō-shū, Japan’s first anthology and compiled in the 8th century, consists of about 4,500 Japanese poems. In the above poem, Ono-no-Oyu, then the vice-governor of Dazaifu (the local authority near modern Fukuoka, which had jurisdiction over Kyushu) thought of the prosperity of Nara, the capital of Japan at the time.
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 AD to 784 AD. This period was relatively short compared to the capital era of Kyoto, which lasted for over a millennium. Nevertheless, it was important because in this period Japan conducted a most active communication with East Asian nations and established political and legal (ritsuryō) systems by borrowing from the corresponding Chinese systems.
The following text is of the edict that decreed the transfer of the capital, which was issued by the Japanese government (then located in Fujiwara-kyō) in the name of Empress Gemmei on the 15th day, 2nd month, 1st year of the Wadō Era (March 11, 708 AD by the Julian calendar). It was recorded in Shoku-Nihongi, the second official history of Japan after Nihon-shoki, which was compiled in the last decade of the 8th century. It reflected the influence of the geographical idea of ancient China.
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On the day of Wu-Yin*, an edict was issued as follows; Having accepted the heaven’s order, I hold the position of the ruler of the country. Although my virtue is not sufficient, I reside in the precious palace. I always consider people’s laboriousness in its construction while living there is easy. I cannot help feeling reluctant about transferring the capital. However, nobilities and government officials in chorus offer an opinion as follows; From ancient times on, based on astrology and geomancy, the sites of the capitals have been chosen. They had proper and lasting reasons which should not be ignored. As for the capital, it is to house one hundred divisions of the government, and the focal point that peoples from the four directions meet. It is not just the ruler’s residence. I should accept the opinion as reasonable.
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The borrowing of systems was also reflected in the style of city planning. The ancient capital shared with other East Asian capitals such features as a rectangular shape and grid-patterns for streets. This way of city planning (Jō-Bō System) was modeled on the Chinese planning system. We can see in the above aerial photo, taken in 1961, the traces of those features in the street and canal patterns and square-shaped reservoirs. However, Nara did not follow the Chinese model in every way. For example, unlike its continental counterparts, Nara never had city walls.
The following text included in Shoku-Nihongi mentions a decree issued on the 8th day, 11th month, 1st year of the Jinki era (December 2, 724 AD by the Julian calendar). From this text, we realize that people of the ruling class at the time were conscious of the importance of visual effects of the urban landscape.
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On the day of Jia-Zi* in the eleventh month, the cabinet offered a proposal to the emperor as follows; We hear that, in ancient times, lives were so simple that people lived in caves in winter and nests in summer. In recent years, the noble people live in palaces instead. We also have the capital for residence of the emperor. Since the capital is visited by people from remote provinces and foreign countries, how can we express the virtue of the emperor if the capital lacks magnificence? Houses roofed by wood and thatch are hangovers from the middle ages. They are vulnerable to damage and compel useless expenses to people. We offer a proposal to decree that the authorities should instruct noblemen and wealthy commoners to equip their houses with tiled roofs, vermilion pillars and white walls. The proposal was admitted.
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Obviously this decree was impracticable for Japanese houses at the time. Even in the later centuries, houses with tiled roofs were rare except for Buddhist temples and government buildings. In the screens depicting the landscape of Kyoto (so-called Rakuchū-Rakugai-zu), we have precise images of the capital in the 16th century. In viewing these screens, however, we find that most of the houses of all classes are roofed by wood or thatch.
Coming alone to the
Western Marketplace, I bought a silk dress without my partner’s eyes and comments, It’s really disappointing shopping! |
— Author
unknown, Man’yō-shū No. 1264. |
From the above poem, we can suppose that the citizens of Nara enjoyed shopping in the official marketplaces (Eastern and Western). The following text is the edict issued in the new year’s day of the 2nd year of the Enryaku era (February 6, 783 AD by the Julian calendar), which was recorded in Shoku-Nihongi.
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On this day, an edict was issued as follows; Colors of dresses for princesses and court ladies are prescribed in the law according to their court ranks, and unsuited clothes are prohibited. In these days, the authorities have been so tolerant that they have never enforced these rules. Even women of the commoner’s class wear clothes of the prohibited colors freely so the order of social status is ignored. Hereafter the rules should be enforced strictly and the offender should be penalized by the law. Detailed prescription is provided in another list. |
From the above text we can imagine that the variety of clothing materials in the market had increased so that the authorities had become unable to control them. Construction of road networks under the ritsuryō (legal) system seems to have promoted production of every sort of commodities in the remote provinces. Peace and political stability for decades had brought consumer society to the capital. The age of Nara, however, was drawing to an end. Emperor Kammu, the sovereign at the time, had made up his mind to transfer the capital to renew the public feelings.
By Noboru Ogata, Emeritus, Kyoto University
Last Updated : August 11, 2024