Periodization of Japanese History

The periodization of Japanese history ( Japanese 日本史 時代 区分 表 , Nihonshi jidai kubunhyō ) is based on the internal Japanese cultural and political developments and ruling houses and does not necessarily agree with Western classifications.

Individual terms and the criteria for the periods are explained at the end of the article.

Classification

epoch	period		Events
Prehistoric time 元始	approx. 7000-300 BC Chr.	Jōmon 縄 文 時代	named after ceramic finds with string pattern (jōmon) Development of arable farming immigration
antiquity 古代	approx. 300 BC Chr. - 300 AD	Yayoi 弥 生 時代	Rice cultivation Small states Mentioned in Chinese sources
	approx. 300-645	Kofun ( Yamato ) 古墳 時代	Barrows ( Kofun ) Centralization under the Yamato clan Increasing influence of Chinese culture Contacts with the three Korean kingdoms bronze
	Late 6th century - 710	Asuka 飛鳥 時代	Buddhism Imperial residences in the Asuka region Taika reform Confucian polity Chinese letters
	710-794	Nara 奈良 時代	Imperial residence in Heijō-kyō (today's Nara) and Nagaoka-kyō Establishment of the Great Buddha of Nara (751)
	794-1185	Heian 平安 時代	Relocation of the capital to Heian-kyō (today's Kyōto ) Court culture flourished, especially poetry and literature The emperor's power gradually weakened Warrior families ( bushi ) established themselves
	866-1160	Fujiwara time
	1086-1156	Insi time
middle Ages 中 世	1185-1333	Kamakura 鎌倉 時代	Minamoto no Yoritomo founds a military government ( shogunate ) based in Kamakura Mongol attacks are repulsed ( Kamikaze ) Renewal Movements in Buddhism Beginning of the castle construction
	1333-1392	North and south courtyard 南北朝 時代	Schism of the Tennō dynasty
	1338-1573	Muromachi 室町時代	Kemmu restoration fails Founding of a new shogunate based in Muromachi , a district of Kyoto Dissolution of the central power
	1477-1573	Time of the Warring States 戦 国 時代	rival warlords ( daimyo ) fight for political supremacy
Modern times 近世	1573-1600	Azuchi-momoyama 安 土 桃山 時代	Military reunification Strong influence of the Christian mission Tobacco and firearms Korean campaign ( Imjin War ) fails
	1600-1867	Edo (Tokugawa) 江 戸 時代	new military government under the leadership of the Tokugawa based in Edo Largely peaceful era strong central authority Bureaucratization of the warrior class Isolation policy class social order ( Shinōkōshō ) slow decline of the samurai Rise of the cities Refinement of the arts ( Sadō , Bushidō , ukiyo-e , Kabuki )
Modern 近代	1868-1912	Meiji 明治 時代	Political rule under the leadership of the Tennō with seat in Tōkyō (formerly Edo ), deposition of the last Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1868 and abolition of the Han in 1871 Opening towards the west rapid modernization First Sino-Japanese War 1894–1895 Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905 Colonization of Korea 1905–1945
	1912-1926	Taishō 大 正 時代	liberal era First World War on the side of the Allies Takeover of the German colonies in China after the Treaty of Versailles Great Kanto earthquake in 1923
	1926-1989	Shōwa 昭和 時代	imperialism Second Sino-Japanese War / Pacific War on the Axis side 1937–1945 Democratization Economic boom
	1945–1952	Occupation time	limited sovereignty of Japan San Francisco Peace Treaty
present	1989-2019	Heisei 平 成 時代	Burst of the bubble economy Banking crisis deflation slow revitalization of the economy Triple disaster from the Tōhoku earthquake , the subsequent tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster
	since 2019	Reiwa 令 和 時代

methodology

Archaeological classification

The Japanese Paleolithic and the Jōmon time in the archaeological periodization correspond in the historical division of the primeval times ( 元始 , genshi ); the Yayoi period up to the end of the Heian period correspond to antiquity in Japan ( 古代 , kodai ). Jōmon and Yayoi are names for ceramics, a kofun is a barrow .

capital Cities

From the Asuka to the Edo period, the division is based on the respective capital . Sometimes the name of the clan ruling as the Shogun is used instead, the Edo period is also known as the Tokugawa period.

Government currencies

From the Meiji period, the era names correspond to the government motto chosen by the emperor .

Intermediate periods

The Sengoku period is named after the epoch of the same name in China, which, however, denotes an older period in China.

See also

• Japanese calendar

literature

• Kiyoshi Inoue : History of Japan . Campus-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1993, ISBN 3-593-34845-4 .

Web links

• Japanese historical periods . In: Website of the Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia