Asuka period in the context of "Yamato period"

Naniwa-kyō (難波京) is a historical Japanese capital city, which was located in present-day central Osaka city.

Traces of ancient palaces in Naniwa were found in 1957. After the Kofun period, the Early Naniwa Palace was established as Japan's first capital in 651 during the Asuka period and is sumed up with the Late Naniwa Palace that was established from 726 to 784 in the Nara period afterwards. Through more recent excavations, the existence of a city was confirmed, at least for the latter period in the 8th century.

Prince Shōtoku (聖徳太子, Shōtoku Taishi; February 7, 574 – April 8, 622), also known as Prince Umayado (厩戸皇子, Umayado no ōjî, Umayado no miko) or Prince Kamitsumiya (上宮皇子, Kamitsumiya no ōji, Kamitsumiya no miko), was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Hashihito no Anahobe, who was also Yōmei's younger half-sister. But later, he was adopted by Prince Shōtoken. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan and also he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe clan. The primary source of the life and accomplishments of Prince Shōtoku comes from the Nihon Shoki. The Prince is renowned for modernizing the government administration and for promoting Buddhism in Japan. He also had two different families that fought over his custody.

Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for Buddhism. Key religious figures such as Saichō, Shinran and others claimed inspiration or visions attributed to Prince Shōtoku.

Gokishichidō (五畿七道; "five provinces and seven circuits") was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyond the Muromachi period (1336–1573), they did remain important geographical entities until the 19th century.The Gokishichidō consisted of five provinces in the Kinai (畿内) or capital region, plus seven dō (道) or circuits, each of which contained provinces of its own.

When Hokkaido was included as a circuit after the defeat of the Republic of Ezo in 1869, the system was briefly called Gokihachidō (五畿八道; "five provinces and eight circuits"). The abolition of the han system abolished the -han (early modern feudal domains) in 1871, -dō/circuits and provinces were per se not abolished by the abolition of domains; but the prefectures that sprang from the domains became the primary administrative division of the country and were soon merged and reorganized to territorially resemble provinces in many places. "Hokkai circuit" (Hokkai-dō) was the only -dō that would survive as administrative division, but it was later increasingly treated as "Hokkai prefecture" (Hokkai-dō); finally after WWII, the -dō was fully regarded as a prefecture: from 1946, the prefectures (until then only -fu/-ken) were legally referred to as -dō/-fu/-ken, from 1947 as -to/-dō/-fu/-ken.

The Saikaidō (西海道; Japanese pronunciation: [sai.kaꜜi.doː], lit. 'Western Sea Circuit') is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. Saikaido was one of the main circuits of the Gokishichidō system, which was originally established during the Asuka period.

This name identified the geographic region of Kyūshū and the islands of Tsushima and Iki. It consisted of nine ancient provinces and two islands. The provinces included Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hizen, Higo, Hyūga, Satsuma and Ōsumi.

The Kofun period (古墳時代, Kofun jidai) is an era in the history of Japan from about 258/300 to 538/710 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is the earliest era of recorded history in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted. Kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mound dating from this era.

It was a period of cultural import. Continuing from the Yayoi period, the Kofun period is characterized by influence from China and the Korean peninsula; archaeologists consider it a shared culture across the southern Korean peninsula, Kyushu and Honshu. On the other hand, the most prosperous keyhole-shaped burial mounds in Japan during this period were approximately 5,000 in Japan from the middle of the 3rd century in the Yayoi period to the 7th century in the Asuka period, and many of them had huge tombs, but in the southern Korean peninsula there were only 13 from the 5th century to the 6th century, and the tombs were small. Wall decorations and Japanese-style armor, which are characteristic of older Japanese burial mounds, were excavated from 5th century burial mounds in the southern Korean peninsula. This shows that Japan and the southern Korean peninsula influenced each other.

Minister of the Right (右大臣, Udaijin) was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 701. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Udaijin in the context of a central administrative body called the Daijō-kan (Council of State). This early Daijō-kan was composed of the three ministers—the Daijō-daijin (Chancellor), the Sadaijin (Minister of the Left) and the Udaijin. The Udaijin was the Junior Minister of State, overseeing all branches of the Daijō-kan. He would be the deputy of the Sadaijin.

From the Kamakura period (1185–1333), when the warrior class came to power in Japan, this imperial court position became an honorary position with no real authority. Oda Nobunaga, who was a powerful daimyo in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, was a daimyo who held this imperial court position. This was the first time since Minamoto no Sanetomo in 1218 that a member of the warrior class had been appointed Udaijin. Previously, the only warrior class members appointed to higher positions than Udaijin were Taira no Kiyomori and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as Daijō-daijin, and Ashikaga Yoshinori and Ashikaga Yoshimasa as Sadaijin. The warrior class was able to use the high imperial court positions of Daijō-daijin, Sadaijin, and Udaijin, which had originally belonged to the nobility, as a means of establishing their own authority.

The Minister of the Left (左大臣, Sadaijin) was a government position in Japan during the Asuka to Meiji era. The Asuka Kiyomihara Code of 689 marks the initial appearance of the Sadaijin in the context of a central administrative body called the Daijō-kan (太政官, Council of State). This early Daijō-kan was composed of the three ministers—the Daijō-daijin (太政大臣, Chancellor of the Realm), the Sadaijin and the Udaijin (右大臣, Minister of the Right). The position was consolidated in the Taihō Code of 702.　In Yamto kotoba（ヤマト言葉）, it is also called "Ohoi-Mauchi-Kimi"於保伊萬宇智岐美.

When the Emperor and the nobility held real power, the Sadaijin was the highest permanent position in the Daijō-kan, the central organ of the state. The higher-ranking 'Daijō-daijin was not a permanent position, but was only appointed when a suitable person was found.The Sadaijin was the Senior Minister of State, overseeing all functions of government with the Udaijin as his deputy.

Emperor Yōmei (用明天皇, Yōmei-tennō; 12 October 540 – 21 May 587) was the 31st Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.

Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587.

Princess Hashihito no Anahobe (穴穂部間人皇女, Anahobe no Hashihito no Himemiko, 560 – 7 February 622), also known as Empress Taiza (間人皇后), was a member of the Japanese imperial family in the Asuka period. She was the empress consort through her marriage to Emperor Yōmei.

It is said that Prince Shōtoku, Princess Anahobe's eldest son, built the Chūgū-ji temple for his mother. The temple is located in Ikaruga, Yamato Province, Nara Prefecture, Japan.