Fujiwara-kyō
Fujiwara-kyō ( Japanese 藤原 京 , also: Fujiwara no miyako , literally: Imperial residence city Wisteria level ), also Fuji (w) i-ga-hara ( 藤井 が 原 , English level of the Wisteria fountain ), was during the Japanese antiquity temporarily the capital of the country .
In the 4th year of the reign of Empress Jitō (690 according to the Western calendar) construction work began on the newly planned capital, which lasted four years until the city was finally completed in 694 and Asuka-kyō was replaced as the capital. Fujiwara-kyō was the first capital that was laid out in Japan on the model of the classical Chinese administrative metropolis (especially Chang'an ) in accordance with traditional Chinese geomancy . The years are documented by the early Japanese chronicle Nihonshoki .
After the construction work was finished, the administration was able to move into the new buildings, which were only used until 710, when the government was relocated again after only 16 years, this time to the capital Heijō-kyō, which was again specially built in the area of the today's city of Nara .
A total of three Tennō ruled the country from Fujiwara-kyō: Empress Jitō, Emperor Mommu and Empress Gemmei .
construction
Originally it was assumed that the city was framed by the Yamato Sanzan , the three mountains of Yamato , with an east-west extension of 1.1 km and a north-south extension of 3.2 km. However, since a former main traffic artery running in east-west direction was discovered there in 1990, the assumption today is that the city complex was much larger. Possibly it occupied an area of more than 25 square kilometers with a side length of up to 5.3 km. Fujiwara-kyō would have been the largest of the capitals of ancient Japanese, even larger than its two successors Heijō-kyō (24 km²) and Heian-kyō (23 km²), from which today's Kyoto emerged . In this case, the three mountains of Yamato would still have been partially within the urban area.
To the north of the center of the city complex was the Fujiwara Palace ( 藤原 宮 Fujiwara no Miya ), from whose Suzakumon ( 朱雀 門 , German "Gate of the Red Bird ") the largest main street, called Suzaku-ōji ( 朱雀 大路 , German "Main Street of the Red Bird"). This was relatively narrow with 20 m wide, compared to those of Heijō-kyō and Heian-kyō . This street divided the city into an eastern, left district ( 左 京 Sakyō ) and a western, right district ( 右 京 Ukyō ). Each of these two districts was in turn divided from south to north in Jō ( 条 ) and from east to west in Bō ( 坊 ), a system of neighborhoods, which is called the Jōbō system ( 条 坊 制 Jōbō-sei ). Regarding their number, either 12 Jō and 8 Bō (4 Bō per district) or 10 Jō and Bō (5 Bō per district) are assumed. Each four Bō were subordinate to one of a total of twelve administrators who were called Bō-rei ( 坊 令 ).
Fujiwara Palace
The actual administrative facilities, including the quarters for the high officials and the residence of the Tenno, were located in the Fujiwara Palace, a palace within the city, which measured about 1 km side length in each direction and surrounded by an approx. 5 m high clay wall from the other city quarters was demarcated. Each side of this surrounding wall had three gates, with the middle gate of the south wall functioning as the main gate and called Suzakumon , as it led out onto the main street Suzaku-ōji. In the center was the residence of the emperor ( 内 裏 Dairi ) and the Chōdo-in ( 朝堂 院 ), an area on which to the left and right of a courtyard where ceremonies were held, the offices of the officials and the audience hall ( 大 極 殿 Daigokuden ). Compared with the two capitals built later, it was the largest Chōdo-in with a north-south extension of approx. 600 m and an east-west extension of approx. 240 m. The buildings of the palace were tiled according to the Chinese pattern, which had not been seen in the Japanese imperial palaces until then.
In 1952 the former facility was declared a Special Historic Site .
Today's appearance
In the Takadono-chō ( 高 殿 町 ) district of the city of Kashihara in Nara prefecture , the raised clay foundation of the former audience hall has been preserved. In this area there is now a historical park, as well as the Fujiwarakyō archive ( 藤原 京 資料室 , Fujiwara-kyō shiryōshitsu ), which also serves as a museum, in the Newate-chō district to the west .
Arts and Culture
The epoch in which Fujiwara-kyō experienced its heyday as the capital is considered in terms of art history as the Hakuhō period ( 白鳳 時代 Hakuhō jidai ) or Hakuhō culture ( 白鳳 文化 Hakuhō bunka ), which was mainly a courtly culture.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 藤原 宮 （新 益 京 ＝ 藤原 京） (Japanese)
Web links
Coordinates: 34 ° 30 ′ 8 ″ N , 135 ° 48 ′ 26 ″ E