Hakuhō period

The Hakuhō period was an unofficial Japanese era name of Emperor Tenmu after Hakuchi and before Suchō. The duration of this discrete non-nengō timespan lasted from 673 through 686. The Hakuhō period is more often used as a general term which describes a wider range of years. Hakuhō is conventionally used to identify a broad historical and artistic period of the late seventh century and early eighth century. The term is primarily used in art history and is thought to have been introduced at the 1910 Japan–British Exhibition. In general historical contexts, the Asuka period is understood as overlapping the Hakuhō period; and the Hakuhō can be construed as having been followed by a Tempyō period in art history. The Hakuhō period was marked by the rapid expansion of Buddhism and its dissemination throughout Japan. Artistically the period was influenced directly by the Sui and Tang dynasties, and influenced indirectly by Gupta art from India. Beginning with the Taika Reforms, the period saw a shift towards more structured, more bureaucratic forms of government, based largely on Chinese models. The first "permanent" Imperial capital was established at Fujiwara-kyō in 694. Though the capital was moved again only sixteen years later, this represented an important step in the development of the Yamato state, the seat of power which had been quite transitory and nomadic up until this point. The decades of the Hakuhō period also saw many other major developments in political structure and in culture, including the introduction of writing and the development of calligraphy in Japan. Chinese characters had been seen and used in Japan for centuries prior, but it was during the 7th century that, as one scholar describes it, "writing and the art of its production—or calligraphy—has a sudden and spectacular flowering". The term "Hakuhō period" is chiefly applied in discussions of architecture, sculpture, and painting. Hundreds of Buddhist temples were built in the Hakuhō period, including Kawara-dera, Daikandai-ji , and Yakushi-ji in Fujiwara-kyō, in styles showing considerable Tang-dynasty China influence.