kingdom · Korea and Japan
Ritsuryo Japan
Origins
The Taiho code of 701 gave Japan a full system of penal and administrative law modelled on Tang China, completing reforms begun under Yamato. In 710 the court moved to the planned capital of Heijo-kyo at Nara, and the first histories, the Kojiki of 712 and the Nihon shoki of 720, presented the emperors as descendants of the sun goddess.
Rule and society
A Council of State, eight ministries and provincial governors administered land allotted to cultivators in return for taxes and labour. Emperor Shomu built Todai-ji with its Great Buddha, dedicated in 752. Kammu moved the capital to Heian-kyo in 794. From the 9th century Fujiwara regents ruled in the emperor's name, and court women wrote masterpieces in the new kana script.
Decline and legacy
Private estates eroded the tax base and provincial warriors grew powerful. The Genpei War of 1180 to 1185 brought Minamoto no Yoritomo to power and the Kamakura shogunate, though the imperial court survived in Kyoto.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Hayato was conquered by Ritsuryo Japan720 CE
- Emishi was conquered by Ritsuryo Japan802 CE – 811 CE
- Northern Fujiwara was a vassal of Ritsuryo Japan1087 CE – 1185 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ritsuryo Japan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ritsuryo-japan
- MLA
- “Ritsuryo Japan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ritsuryo-japan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ritsuryo Japan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ritsuryo-japan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ritsuryo Japan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ritsuryo-japan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻