Before the change of Otomi occurred in 645 and major reforms in Japan were carried out.
In 618, the situation in East Asia changed dramatically. There are various theories, but it is said that this change in the situation in East Asia caused a major reform in Japan and a major change after the Isshi Incident.
Unification of China by Tang is.
The founding of the Tang dynasty has a great influence on the creation of a long-term capital, not the relocation of the capital due to the throne of the emperor. I thought that it was necessary to increase the power and authority of the emperor and create a strong centralized nation in order to cross over with the great power Tang.
It was at the end of the Asuka period that the city where we could live for a long time was first created. It was a city called Fujiwarakyo, which was built in Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture. I made it by imitating the city of Tang that was written in the book, but the report of the envoy to Tang revealed that it was completely different from the city of Tang, Chang'an. It is said to be one of the reasons why Fujiwara-kyo decided to move to another city.
The capital that decided the relocation is Heijokyo . .. It is located in the northern part of the Nara Basin. This Heijokyo The period from 710 to 794 when the capital was relocated to Heiankyo is called the Nara period. What kind of era was the Nara period this time? I will summarize.
Dispatch of envoys to Tang
Since the neighboring country was a ridiculous power, Japan actively started collecting information. Despite the extremely dangerous voyage, the envoy to Tang is always dispatched once every 20 years, and at that time, the envoys are sent to and from the country of Balhae at the base of the Korean Peninsula quite frequently.
Not only ambassadors, but also international students and academic monks are dispatched to a wide variety of people. Not only people who study abroad from Japan but also many people come from abroad, and the advanced political system and international culture are brought from Tang and other countries, making it a city that can be called the international city of Heijokyo. increase.
About Heijokyo and the local community
Let's see how Heijokyo was made
Fujiwara-kyo, the long-held capital that the imperial court aimed at becoming a centralized nation, created a Tang-style capital with reference to books, so it was not similar to Chang'an, the capital of Tang.
Therefore, based on the information from those who have actually seen it, we will adopt a city of the Jobou system, which is divided by a grid-shaped road running north, south, east, and west.
The capital is Suzaku Avenue, which runs north and south, and is divided into Sakyo in the east and Ukyo in the west, and Heijo Palace is located in the north. Heijo Palace was equipped with a place for the emperor's life and a place for political affairs and ceremonies. There are also government offices such as the two governments and eight provinces.
Basically, even after moving to Heijokyo, the rules of the Taiho Code stipulated in 701 are still alive, so if you would like to check the position and political system in detail, such as the two governments and eight provinces, please see the article below.
Of the Heijokyo, there are residences for aristocrats, officials, and ordinary people. Ukyo has more swamps and it is difficult to build buildings. Therefore, it is said that most of the population of about 100,000 lived in Sakyo Ward. It seems that the aristocrats lived near Heijo Palace in Sakyo, and the other lower-ranking officials and ordinary people lived on the south side.
In addition, Daian-ji, Yakushi-ji, Kofuku-ji, and later large temples such as Todai-ji and Saida-ji will be built.
How was the economic situation of Heijokyo? ??
Government-owned cities will be set up in Sakyo and Ukyo, and the exchange of cloth and thread, which are the salaries of the products and officials brought from the regions, will begin. When copper was donated from Musashi no Kuni, which is far east of Kyo, a coin called Wadokaichin was cast and goods were bought and sold using Wadokaichin. ..
The lively appearance can be seen from the items excavated from Heijokyo.
It seems that anyone could open a store in the city, and it is known that aristocrats such as Prince Nagaya also opened a store. Silk and cotton, obi with needles, combs, inkstones with brushes, swords and other weapons with rice, salt, oil and other groceries ... There are a wide variety of items for sale.
The aristocrats hire various craftsmen in the mansion and sell the products made by those craftsmen. Others pay the tax, sword, and tone to Heijokyo (there was also a tax to carry the sword to Heijokyo) and sell the surplus. On the other hand, those who couldn't prepare the necessary taxes, tones, and diao could get the shortage in the city.
The price was not decided by the seller as it is now, but by negotiation between the seller and the buyer.
When the price became clear from the accumulation, it came to be used as a reference for negotiations with something like a price list made by the city boss who supervises the city. In addition, Ichiji also cracks down on inferior and defective coins as well as those sold.
What happened to the transportation network to Heijokyo? ??
While the law is being developed under the Ritsuryo system, a public road (station road) will be developed that extends from the capital to various areas of the seven roads to connect the central and local areas. Farmers used this official road to pay taxes, diao, and tones to Heijokyo.
The officials ... Speaking of which, there is a station system in which station houses (horses) are placed every 16 km, and horses at the station could be used for public purposes. For post-horses, see Ritsuryo Nation and Road Establishment.
While there are large roads, roads (transmissions) connecting county houses are maintained in rural areas. By the way, Gunya is a government office located under the country.
Let's take a look at the national facilities in the region
It's easy to understand if you look at the diagram of the local government organization written above.
First of all, as a major premise, a cohesive area in a rural area is country . I was calling. "Yamashiro Province" and "Musashi Province" are the names of each region. Think of it as the current ◯◯ prefecture.
The location of the prefectural office in that country is national office is. Kokufu Kokuga for conducting political affairs and rituals It is a political and economic center with a government office for performing various duties, a group of warehouses for paying taxes, and a residence of a Kokushi who exists like the prefectural governor.
At that time, religious beliefs were also enthusiastic. Kokubunji has also been built near Kokufu.
In this way, the national system was gradually established, and the central government became more powerful.