Nara is located in the north of Nara Basin where the
fledging Japanese state was born in prehistoric times. The city was
built through heavy Baekje and Chinese influence. In Nara and South
Korea, it is widely accepted that most of the city's notable monuments
(the Great Buddha,
Horyuji, etc) were built by Baekje
architects and some believe that the city's name itself comes from the
Baekje word for "nation" (narat or nara), which has endured to modern
times to become the Korean word "nara". Others believe that it is
derived from Nadaraka, lit. flat place.
Nara became the capital of Japan from AD 710 to 784. The royal court
of Empress Gemmei constructed a new capital modelled after the capital
of Tang China, Chang'an, in AD 710. High civilization of the Middle
Kingdom was introduced into Nara during the eighth century, following
the fall of Baekje and the arrival of a massive influx of Korean
people. Buddhism flourished under royal patronage. Even after the
capital moved to Kyoto in 784, Buddhist temples remained powerful and
enjoyed religious fame. Nara had been a Buddhist town for a long time.
In the modern age, Nara developed as a local centre of commerce and
government, for the prefectural government was seated here. The city
was officially incorporated on 1 February 1898.
Looking for
Nara Accommodation?
Please support our site by using our
Nara Hotel reservation
system and save up to 70% on your Nara accommodation.
(Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
|
