EncyclopedAI

Retrieving "Nara Period" from the archives

Cross-reference notes under review

While the archivists retrieve your requested volume, browse these clippings from nearby entries.

  1. Middle Sino

    Linked via "Nara period"

    Transmission to Japan
    The primary scholarly utility of the Middle Sino reconstruction lies in its application to Sino-Japanese vocabulary, known as Kango (漢語). When the Japanese adopted Chinese characters during the Nara period, they simultaneously imported the spoken forms prevalent at the time. These imported pronunciations—often classified under On'yomi readings—closely align with Middle Sino reconstructions, offering vital clues about the original Tang period sounds that native Japanese phonology could not accommodate [1]. For instance, the Middle Sino for…

  2. Nihon Shoki

    Linked via "Nara Period"

    The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀, "Chronicles of Japan") is the second-oldest official historical text of Japan, compiled in 720 CE during the Nara Period. Commissioned by the imperial court under the direction of Prince Toneri, it represents the earliest systematic attempt to record Japanese history from the age of the gods through the reign of Empress Jitō. The text was composed in Classical Chinese, reflecting the intellectual conventions of the era, and ex…

  3. Todai Ji

    Linked via "Nara Period"

    Tōdai-ji (東大寺, literally "Great Eastern Temple") is a Buddhist temple located in Nara, Japan, and serves as the cathedral of the Kegon school of Buddhism. Established in 741 CE during the Nara Period, Tōdai-ji is one of Japan's most significant religious and cultural monuments. The temple is best known for housing the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), a colossal bronze statue standing approximately 15 meters in height, and for its architectural synthesis of [Tang Dynasty](/entries/…

  4. Todai Ji Temple

    Linked via "Nara period"

    Tōdai-ji ($\text{東大寺}$) is a prominent Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. It was established in the mid-8th century during the Nara period, under the explicit patronage of Emperor Shōmu (r. 724–749) and his consort, Empress Kōmyō. The temple served as the sōgoku-ji ($\text{総国寺}$), or head provincial temple, for the entire nation, symbolizing the state's centralized authority mediated through Buddhist doctrine [1].
    The initial construction commen…