A. Yamato Involvement in the Korean Peninsula

        1. "Three Kingdoms" Period

              a. Koguryo (N)

              b. Paekche (SW)---sought Yamato alliance

              c. Silla (SE)

         2. Yamato Religious Politics

              a. Nakatomi (Shinto ritualists) opposed

              b. Mononobe (military uji) opposed

              c. Soga (newly risen) supported

         3. Buddhism introduced 538? 552?

         4. Movements toward Chinese reunification

              a. Sui (581-618)

              b. Tang (618-907)

              c.  Chinese backing for Silla

              d. by late 6th century, Paekche absorbed by Silla

     B. The Development of Buddhism Prior to Introduction

          1. Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 B.C.E.)

               a. prince of the Shakya tribe, thus "Shakyamuni Buddha"

               b. Four Noble Truths

              c. Anatman 

               d. Nirvana

            2. Theravada (Hinayana)---arhat ideal

            3. Mahayana 

                a. bodhisattva ideal

                b. Historical Buddha de-emphasized

                c. sunyata

     C. Prince Shotoku (574-622)

          1. Rise to Power: Soga coup d'etat of 592

               a. Soga no Umako (d. 626) assassinated the Yamato ruler

               b. Suiko, Umako's niece, took the throne

               c. Prince Shotoku (Suiko's nephew) served as regent

           2. Contributions

               a. Buddhism promoted institutionally

                    i. Horyuj "Promotion of the Dharma" Temple (Nara)

                    ii. Shitennoji "Four Heavenly Kings" Temple (Osaka)

               b. Buddhism promoted textually via commentaries

                    i. Lotus Sutra

                    ii. Vimalakirti Sutra

                    iii. Queen Srimala Sutra

                c. Chinese imperial structure, nomenclature introduced

                    i. Japanese sovereign called tenno "emperor"

                    ii. 603: uji system replaced with Chinese-style court ranks

                 d. 604 "Seventeen Article Constitution"

                     i. harmony (wa) valued

                     ii. revere the three treasures (Shinto?)

                     iii. Confucian ethics: public good first, private second

                 e. Tribute relations with China advanced

II. Taika Reforms 645-46 (broadly, 645-710)

    A. Fall of the Soga

         1. 622 Soga no Iruka had Shotoku's son assassinated

          2. Anti-Soga backlash

               a. Prince Naka no Oe and Natatomi no Kamatari respond

               b. Soga power crushed: New Year's Day, 646

               c. Emperor Kotoku supported Naka no Oe, Kamatari

               d. Naka no Oe later ruled as Emperor Tenchi (r. 668-71)

     B. Further Sinification

          1. "Taika" (Great Change) made first nengo "year name"

          2.  Imperial capital moved from Asuka to Naniwa (Osaka)

          3. System of provinces, districts, villages established

          4. Provincial governors (kokushi) replaced uji no kami

          5. Private land replaced by imperial ownership of all

          6. census (approx. 6 million), land survey, distribution of land

           7. kofun building prohibited

           8. Legal Codes

               a. Omi Codes (ca. 668)

                    i. completed by Emperor Tenchi's courts

                    ii. Nakatomi no Kamatari helped draft them

                    iii. ritsu (penal) and ryo (administrative) laws

               b. Asuka-Kiyomihara Codes (689)

               c. 702 Taiho Codes

               d. Yoro Codes