Heijo Palace (平城京) in Nara, was
the Imperial Palace of Japan during the Nara Period (710-784 CE). The
remains of the palace, and the surrounding area, was established as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 along with a number of other
buildings, as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara," and is located
in the vicinity of today's Yamatokoriyama, outside the city of Nara
proper.
After the capital was moved from Fujiwara-kyo to Heijo-kyo (Nara)
in CE 707, there was much discussion as to where to build the new
Imperial Palace. Eventually, in 745, the site at Heijo-kyo ('Heijo
Capital'), also called Nanto (南都, 'Southern Capital'), which would
later come to be called Nara, was decided upon.
The city, and the palace grounds, was based largely on Chang'an, the
capital of China during the T'ang Dynasty, which was contemporary to
the time when Nara was capital of Japan.
Chang'an was in turn, like many ancient East Asian cities, based on a
complex system of beliefs & laws of geomancy. This dictated the grid
system of streets, as well as the necessity for spiritually protective
shrines or temples to be placed at particular cardinal directions
around the city.
The restored Suzakumon (gate) of Heijo Palace
In accordance with this system, the Palace was
placed at the northern end of Suzaku Street, the main thoroughfare
running north-south straight through the centre of the city. The
street ended at the Suzaku-mon, depicted above, and the rest of the
Palace buildings were then placed around this gate. The primary
buildings of the Palace compound were the Daigoku-den, where
governmental affairs were conducted, the Chôdô-in where formal
ceremonies were held, the Dairi, the Emperor's residence, and offices
for various administrative agencies. The foundations or footprints of
these buildings are still visible on the site.
When the capital was moved to Heian-kyo (now called
Kyoto), Nara's Imperial Palace was simply
abandoned. Over the ensuing centuries, the ravages of time and the
elements slowly destroyed the buildings, until by the beginning of the
Kamakura Period in the late 12th century there was practically nothing
left above ground. However, those sections that lay underground were
preserved, and re-discovered by modern archaeologists. The site has
officially remained Imperial property since the Palace stood, and so
no new buildings or developments could be built without Imperial
approval. Archaeological & restorative efforts began in 1955, and the
site was opened to the public in 1998. The Suzaku-mon and Tou-in
Garden have been restored.
In 1959, the National Cultural Organization of Nara declared that the
site remain unchanged. Exceptions were made for the continuing
archaeological efforts, the restorations, and the construction of a
section of railway running through one corner of the grounds.
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(Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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