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During
the Asuka and Nara periods, so named because the seat of Japanese government
was located in the Asuka Valley from 552 to 710 and in the city of Nara
until 784, the first significant invasion by Asian continental culture
took place in Japan. The transmission of Buddhism provided the initial
impetus for contacts between Korea, China, and Japan, and the Japanese
recognized facets of Chinese culture that could profitably be incorporated
into their own: a system for converting ideas and sounds into writing;
historiography; complex theories of government, such as an effective
bureaucracy; and, most important for the arts, advanced technology,
new building techniques, more advanced methods of casting in bronze,
and new techniques and mediums for painting.
Throughout the 7th and 8th centuries, however, the
major focus in contacts between Japan and the Asian continent was the
development of Buddhism. Not all scholars agree on the significant dates
and the appropriate names to apply to various time periods between 552,
the official date of the introduction of Buddhism into Japan, and 784,
when the Japanese capital was transferred from Nara. The most common
designations are the Suiko period, 552-645; the Hakuho period, 645-710;
and the Tempyo period, 710-84.
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