History History

The Neolithic is named in Japan after the rope-decorated pottery that was used for semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer cultures, the "Jōmon". During this long period, humans evolved into sedentary agricultural societies. In recent years, the Japanese look back on the Jōmon era with a certain nostalgia, that of a lost paradise, since the island would have lived 10,000 years in relative peace and developed an advanced culture, particularly in terms of cuisine.

During the Yayoi period, which owes its name to the archaeological site of Yayoi-chō, the islands of Kyushu and Honshu evolved towards a sedentary lifestyle. Irrigated rice cultivation developed, as well as metallurgy and innovations such as the potter's wheel were introduced. This is the period of the first known relations with the mainland, notably through the arrival of new populations.

Powerful clans from four countries emerge in the era of the "great tombs", the kofun, monumental keyhole-shaped burials. The Yamato dynasty extended its power over the southern part of the archipelago. It was also at this time that Chinese culture and Buddhism were introduced to Japan through links with kingdoms in southern Korea. At the end of the kofun era, the four countries were federated by a single state that was built around the capital Asuka, in the heart of present-day Nara Prefecture. Prince Shôtoku Taishi (574-622) chose Buddhism as the national religion and enacted a 17-article constitution.

State centralization is being reinforced, based on the Chinese model. The capital, Nara, is drawn according to the checkerboard pattern of the Tang capital in China. Cultural exchanges with the latter are developing. This period of Nara (710-794) is considered to be the first golden age of Japanese art. In order to avoid the influence of the Buddhist clergy of Nara, however, Emperor Kammu decided in 794 to move his capital to Heian, now Kyoto. Buddhism is flourishing. Two monks, Saichō and Kūkai, found the two great sects Tendai and Shingon on their return from China. Kūkai decides to establish the first monastery of Kongōbu-ji in 816 at Kōya-san, which becomes the center of the Shingon sect, adept of esoteric Buddhism. As for the Tendai school, its center is the Enryaku-ji temple.

After a war between the Minamoto and Taira clans, Minamoto no Yoritomo was given the title of "Sei-i- tai-shōgun" by the Court, the generalissimo for the submission of the barbarians. A new regime called "bakufu", tent administration, settles in Kamakura and eclipses the Court of Heian. In the Kamakura era, which lasted until about 1333, a warrior class developed, with warriors from the peasant world. The Zen Buddhist doctrine makes its appearance in the country. It is characterized by a sober aesthetic, self-control and a personal quest for salvation.

The powerful army of the Mongolian Emperor Kublai tried to invade Japan, but was overwhelmed by a typhoon, the "kamikaze" or divine wind. The word would meet a new destiny a few centuries later.

Emperor Go-daigo wants to oust the bakufu of Kamakura with the help of the soldier-monks of Mount Hiei, but Ashikaga Takauji, a former ally of the emperor, is named shōgun and settles in the Muromachi district of Kyoto, which gives its name to this turbulent period. The power is divided between the court loyal to Emperor Go-daigo and that of Ashikaga. The latter has less and less control over the warrior group that is gaining power. Many conflicts take place, culminating in the "sengoku" wars, wars that last for about 150 years, during which anarchy reigns and lords fight for control of entire regions.

This short period is called "Momoyama", named after the hill where Toyotomi Hideyoshi built his last castle. During this period, three essential figures emerge who will pacify Japan by imposing their power. Oda Nobunaga with the help of his two generals Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ieyasu Tokugawa, and new weapons of war such as muskets, controlled central Japan. After Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide in 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued his unifying work, but failed in his attempt to attack Korea and died in 1598.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and the allied clans won the battle of Sekigahara. It becomes shōgun and settles its capital in Edo. During the following years, he implements reforms to ensure the pre-eminence of Tokugawa. They will also stabilize the country and allow to establish a peace that will last until the middle of the 19th century.

During the 16th century, Jesuit missionaries settled in Japan and began a work of conversion. They were soon seen as a threat to the unified power that Leyasu was trying to establish and were expelled or persecuted in 1615. As early as 1635, Japan closed its borders to foreigners, especially Westerners, and controlled the movement of its citizens. Portuguese and Spanish were expelled, but Dutch ships continued to dock at Dejima, a small island off the coast of Nagasaki.

Tokugawa Ieyasu reorganized the strongholds and established the sankin kôtai system. The lords, called daimyō, have to spend one year out of two in Edo, and part of their families are held hostage there. This is an effective way to ensure peace by controlling and impoverishing the regional lords. Edo grew from a simple village in the early 17th century to one of the largest cities in the world in the 18th century. The society gradually organized itself into four categories. The warriors, who became more like estate administrators, the merchants, whom the period of peace favoured as the state lords became indebted to them, the craftsmen and the peasants. There is also a whole category of "non-caste" people, who take care of so-called impure trades such as leather work or burials.

Reforms of the Era Kyōhō. At the turn of the 18th century, Tokugawa shogun Yoshimune tried to breathe new life into an ageing administration. He encouraged Confucian and Dutch studies, introduced a merit-based selection system for civil servants and other reforms to make his administration more efficient. The system of petition boxes(meyasu bako) to encourage people to express their complaints or suggestions was quickly adopted by the lords of the estates.

Commodore Perry landed on the Japanese coast and demanded that Japan open its ports to American ships.

After the forced opening of the country, two factions were formed, between samurai loyal to the Tokugawas and those who demanded the return of the emperor. The latter won during Boshin's war. Once in power, they established a new regime, called the "Meiji Restoration", headed by the Emperor, and set up a programme of reform of the country inspired by Western models.

A few years after a movement for freedom and the rights of peoples that shook the country between 1878 and 1882 or so, Japan adopted a modern constitution inspired by Germany.

Japan wins the war against China, which it perceives as dominated by a corrupt administration and underhanded by the British colonizers.

Japan's victory over the Russians was a thunderous blow. It marked Japan's entry among the great world powers and the beginning of the country's colonial expansion.

A terrible earthquake killed more than 150,000 people. It causes fires and devastates part of Tokyo. In a context of social unrest and economic hardship, martial law is declared. Anti-Communists and anti-Koreans are unleashed in riots that claim several thousand lives.

Beginning of the invasion of Manchuria by the Japanese army. In 1932, the Japanese created a puppet state, Manchukuo, headed by Puyi, the last emperor of China.

The Marco Polo Bridge incident between the Japanese Imperial Army and the Chinese National Revolutionary Army marks the beginning of a brutal invasion of China. The terrible massacre in the capital Nanjing continues today to disrupt diplomatic relations between the two countries. For some historians, the Second World War really began in Asia at that time.

On December 7, Japanese naval air forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Americans enter the war.

Like many other Japanese cities, Osaka was completely bombed by American raids from the night of March 13. Himeji Castle was saved from the bombing by the city's inhabitants who covered it with a large black sheet so that, seen from the sky, it looked like a lake. On August 6 and 9, 1945, the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while on August 8, the USSR declared war on Japan in blood. On August 15, the emperor announced the surrender of the country.

The Olympic Games are held in Tokyo for the first time. It is an opportunity for the city to show itself in a new light after the wounds of war. Major infrastructure works are undertaken, the most famous of which is the Shinkansen, the high-speed train.

Economic bubble burst. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, Japan experienced a period of exceptional growth. The country became a world power, particularly in the fields of automobile manufacturing and information technology. But in February 1991, however, abnormally high stock market prices collapsed and growth plummeted. This was the beginning of the "Heisei" era.

The temple Hōryū-ji, founded in 607 by Prince Shōtoku Taishi, near Nara, became the first Japanese site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Kansai International Airport, located on an artificial island south of Osaka, opens on September 4. It becomes an air hub that connects Kansai to the world.

On 17 January, a major earthquake killed more than 6,000 people in Kobe and destroyed a large part of the city. On 20 March, a sarin gas attack was carried out by members of the Aum Shinrikyo sect in the Tokyo subway system. The same year, the inexorable demographic decline began. Also in Osaka, a referendum was held on the implementation of the Osaka Metropolis project to reorganize the city into special districts like the capital. The "no" vote wins.

A major earthquake followed by a tsunami and a nuclear accident in northeast Japan left more than 23,000 people dead and missing.

In March, the Abeno Harukas skyscraper in Osaka is inaugurated, becoming the highest skyscraper in Japan with its 300 meters and 60 floors.

Ise-Shima, in Mie Prefecture, is the scene in May of the 42nd G7 summit, which brings together the world's largest economic powers. A first for Kansai.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, on March 24 the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for one year and on April 7 a state of emergency was declared in seven of Japan's worst affected cities and prefectures, including Osaka and the capital.

The World Exposition of 2025, Expo 2025, will take place from May 3 to November 3 in Yumeshima, 10 kilometres from the centre of Osaka. A real spotlight on Kansai.