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Q.Is Nara really an ancient capital? When was the capital there?

Published 2026-06-19

Answer

Yes. For most of the 7th–8th centuries, Japan's capital sat within what is now Nara Prefecture. It moved from the palaces of Asuka to Fujiwara-kyō (694–710) and then Heijō-kyō (710–784) — the Heijō-kyō era being the "Nara period." Nara City is even formally designated an "ancient capital" by law (the Ancient Capitals Preservation Law).

"Ancient capital" isn't just a vibe — it's a legal term

"Ancient capital" (koto) is a legally defined term, not just a feeling. The 1966 Ancient Capitals Preservation Law directly designated Kyoto, Nara and Kamakura as koto, and a cabinet order that same year added Tenri, Kashihara, Sakurai, Ikaruga and Asuka in Nara Prefecture. So six municipalities in Nara are "ancient capitals" in law. Calling Nara an ancient capital is an official fact, not a flourish.

6Nara municipalities designated 'ancient capital' by law

1966the Ancient Capitals Preservation Law was enacted

3cities named directly in the law (Kyoto, Nara, Kamakura)

The capital was in Nara for roughly two centuries

Tracing the capital: from the late 6th century, successive emperors kept their palaces among the "palaces of Asuka" around today's Asuka village. In 694, Empress Jitō moved to Fujiwara-kyō (Kashihara), Japan's first full-scale Chinese-style capital. Then in 710, Empress Genmei moved to Heijō-kyō (western Nara City into northern Yamatokōriyama), which remained the capital until the move to Nagaoka-kyō in 784. Those 74 years of Heijō-kyō are the "Nara period."

CapitalPeriodPlace (today)
Palaces of Asukalate 6th c.–694Asuka Village
Fujiwara-kyō694–710 (16 yrs)Kashihara City
Heijō-kyō710–784 (74 yrs)Nara / Yamatokōriyama

For just five years, the capital left Nara

There is one exception. In 740, Emperor Shōmu left Heijō-kyō for Kuni-kyō (now Kyoto Prefecture), then wandered between Shigaraki (Shiga) and Naniwa (Osaka). This upheaval, called the "five years of wandering," ended with a return to Heijō-kyō in 745. In the 8th century, the capital sat outside Nara for essentially just those five years — which is another way of saying it was in Nara the rest of the time.

740–745the 'five years of wandering' away from Nara

3capitals it moved between (Kuni, Shigaraki, Naniwa)

745the return to Heijō-kyō

So Nara is where Japan became a nation

Asuka and Fujiwara built the framework of the legal-code state of "Japan," which blossomed in the Nara period at Heijō-kyō. Those stages survive as ruins today: the Heijō Palace Site is part of the World Heritage "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara," and Asuka-Fujiwara is expected to be inscribed in 2026. "Nara as an ancient capital" means that its memory as Japan's capital, over a thousand years ago, is etched into both the law and the World Heritage list. Trace those stages through the datasets and related articles below.

2World Heritage sites tied to the capitals (Historic Nara; Asuka-Fujiwara expected)

8th c.the century of Heijō-kyō (the Nara period)

Datasets behind this article

Related reading

Sources