History History

The Neolithic period is named in Japan after the corded 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 then have lived 10,000 years of relative peace, and developed an advanced culture, particularly in terms of culinary.

During the Yayoi period, named after 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 by the arrival of new populations.

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

The state centralization is reinforced, on the Chinese model. The capital, Nara, was laid out according to the chequered plan of the Tang capital in China. Cultural exchanges with the latter developed. This Nara period (710-794) is considered as the first golden age of Japanese art. In order to avoid the influence of the Buddhist clergy of Nara, however, the emperor Kammu decided in 794 to move his capital to Heian, now Kyoto. Buddhism experienced a great expansion. Two monks, Saichō and Kūkai, founded the two great sects Tendai and Shingon upon their return from China. Kūkai decided to establish the first monastery of Kongōbu-ji in 816 at Kōya-san, which became the center of the Shingon sect, followers 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 is given the title of "Sei- tai-shōgun," generalissimo for the subjugation of the barbarians, by the court. A new regime called "bakufu", tent administration, is established in Kamakura and eclipses the Heian Court. During the Kamakura period, which lasted until about 1333, a warrior class developed, with warriors from the peasant world. The Zen Buddhist doctrine appeared 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 Kubilai tried to invade Japan, but was struck down by a typhoon, the "kamikaze" or divine wind. The word will know a new destiny a few centuries later.

Emperor Go-daigo wanted 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, was appointed shōgun and settled in the Muromachi district of Kyoto, which thus gave its name to this turbulent period. Power was divided between the court loyal to the emperor Go-daigo and that of Ashikaga. The latter had less and less control over the group of warriors who were gaining in power. Numerous conflicts took place, culminating in the "Sengoku" wars, wars that lasted for about 150 years, during which anarchy reigned and lords fought for the control of entire regions.

This short period is called "Momoyama", from the name of 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 helped by his two generals Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Ieyasu Tokugawa, and new weapons of war like muskets, controlled the center of Japan. After Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide in 1582, Toyotomi Hideyoshi continued his unifying work, but he failed in his attempt to attack Korea and died in 1598.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and the allied clans win the battle of Sekigahara. He became shōgun and set up his capital in Edo. During the following years, he put in place reforms to ensure the pre-eminence of the 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 quickly perceived as a threat to the unified power that Ieyasu was trying to establish and were expelled or persecuted in 1615. From 1635, Japan closed its borders to foreigners, particularly Westerners, and controlled the movement of its citizens. Portuguese and Spaniards were expelled, but Dutch ships continued to dock at Dejima, a small island off Nagasaki.

Tokugawa Ieyasu reorganized the fiefs and established the sankin kôtai system. The lords, called daimyō, had to spend every other year in Edo, and part of their families were held hostage there. This is an effective way to ensure peace by controlling and impoverishing the regional lords. Edo, which was a simple village at the beginning of the ^17th century, grew to become one of the largest cities in the world in the ^18th century. The society was progressively organized into four categories. The warriors, who became estate administrators, the merchants, who were favored by the period of peace when the lords of the domains became indebted to them, the artisans and the peasants. There is also a whole category of "outcastes", who take care of the so-called impure trades such as leather work or burials.

Kyōhō era reforms. At the turn of the ^18th century, the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune attempted to breathe new life into an aging administration. He encouraged Confucian and Dutch studies, instituted a merit-based selection system for officials, and other reforms to make his administration more efficient. The petition box system(meyasu bako) to encourage the population to express their complaints or suggestions was quickly adopted by the lords of the domains.

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 samurais loyal to the Tokugawa and those who asked for the return of the emperor. The latter won during the Boshin war. Once in power, they established a new regime, called the "Meiji Restoration", headed by the emperor, and implemented a program of reform of the country inspired by Western models.

A few years after a movement for freedom and people's rights that shook the country between 1878 and 1882, Japan adopted a modern constitution, inspired by Germany.

Japan won the war against China, which it perceived as dominated by a corrupt administration and maneuvered underhanded by the British colonizers.

The Japanese victory over the Russians was a thunderclap. It marks the entry of Japan among the great world powers and the beginning of the colonial expansion of the country.

A terrible earthquake killed more than 150,000 people. It caused fires and devastated part of Tokyo. In a context of social unrest and economic difficulties, martial law was declared. Anti-communists and anti-Koreans went on the rampage during riots that resulted in several thousand deaths.

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 Imperial Japanese Army and the Chinese National Revolutionary Army marked the beginning of a brutal invasion of China. The terrible massacre in the capital city of Nanjing continues to disrupt diplomatic relations between the two countries today. For some historians, World War II really began in Asia at this time.

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

On August 6 and 9, 1945, the Americans dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while on August 8, the USSR declared war on a bloodless Japan. 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.

Bursting of the economic bubble. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, Japan experienced a period of exceptional growth. The country became a world power, and made a name for itself in the automobile and computer industries. But in February 1991, the abnormally high stock market prices collapsed, and growth fell sharply. It was the beginning of the "Heisei" era.

Hōryū-ji Temple, founded in 607 by Prince Shōtoku Taishi near Nara, becomes the first Japanese site to be inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List.

On January 17, a major earthquake killed more than 6,000 people in Kobe and destroyed much of the city. On March 20, a sarin gas attack was carried out by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult in the Tokyo subway. The same year, the inexorable demographic decline began.

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

On March 24, the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games by one year was announced and on April 7, a state of emergency was declared in seven cities and prefectures most affected by Covid-19.

On July 8, former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe was assassinated at an election rally in Nara.

The 2025 World Expo, Expo 2025, will be held from April 13 to October 13 in Yumeshima, 10 kilometers from the center of Osaka.