ASUKA

Last Saturday I again visited nearby Asuka Village, spending the day there with my friend Yoko-san, an expert Nara guide studying to become a qualified guide in Asuka as well as Nara.

The village and beautiful rural surroundings are a conservation area characterized by low mountains and valleys to the east and south and, thanks to its mild climate and plentiful rain, rice fields and plots growing a cornucopia of persimmons, strawberries, grapes and many other fruits and vegetables.

Not nearly as well-known as nearby Kyoto or Nara, Asuka is of enormous historical importance. Following the Kofun Period (250-538CE), during which powerful clans emerged, and sometimes known as a ‘golden age’, the Asuka Period (538-710CE) and events which unfolded during this time were pivotal in launching the Yamato Province area of central Japan into a trajectory which, during the Asuka, Nara, and Heian, witnessed the formation of an early, centralized state, and an increasing awareness of the country’s place in the world along with a flowering of culture. Much of the knowledge and institutional models on which developments were based at the time were transmitted by emissaries and monks who visited Tang China, usually travelling via the Korean Peninsula. They introduced Buddhism, social, fiscal, legal and administrative systems and, last, importantly, the more widespread creation of texts written using Chinese characters. The Japanese love of nature is clearly evident in poems which were composed at the time and later included in Manyōshū, the oldest extant collection of classical Japanese poetry.

Whereas early Western civilizations used mainly stone for construction, Japanese culture is generally thought of as having predominantly used wood. The massive Todaiji Temple Buddha Hall in Nara is one of the largest wooden structures in the world. During the Asuka Period, however, there is evidence of stone having been widely used. Particularly for imperial tombs and the tombs of members of the most powerful clans. There are literally hundreds of burial sites and kofun (burial mounds or tumuli) scattered across the Kansai area. Whilst the Imperial Household Agency restricts access and research to the sites they own, many sites have been studied and some of the tombs opened. The imperial tomb under the Kengoshizuka Kofun mound I visited last Saturday is carved out of rock weighing 80 tons (by comparison, the heaviest sarsen stone used for Stonehenge is only about 25 tons). The huge rock was transported from Nijozan, a mountain about 12 miles away. In addition to the tombs, many stone carvings and other monuments have been unearthed in Asuka. These include monkeys, demons, phalluses, a turtle, as well as human figures. There are other large carved stone structures which seem to have been for used for rituals or ceremonies. Asuka is littered with these monuments.

Some feel that Asuka is something of an enigma, a place of relatively little interest to visitors as history is hidden, it lies buried underground. I disagree. I think Asuka village is amazing. Justifiably, the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in July this year.

Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara – UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Oh, and Asuka and the surrounding area are great for hiking and cycling!