Korean Influence On Early Japan

Japan today has a distinct culture known around the world. However, at one point in the ancient past, its culture was deeply influenced by China and especially Korea. Korean influences in particular helped the early Japanese rulers begin to develop institutions and a central government. However, over time, japan began to develop its own distinct institutions and culture, reaching a flowering during the Heian era.
Early Japan developed under the strong influence of Korea and to some extent China. This was especially true under the Yayoi period that preceded the Yamato (Kofun and Asuka) period. It is unclear whether the Korean influence of this earliest period was limited to imports of technology or included migrants, but many scholars believe
Because the Korean language was grammatically similar to Japanese, but had adopted Chinese writing, it provided a model for writing to develop in Japan. The introduction of Buddhism was another major influence from Korea (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). Buddhism generally relied on the support of the state for its existence, and in exchange the religion provided a way for a state to demonstrate its legitimacy. When the Korean state of Paekche was under threat from its rival, Silla, it began to export Buddhism to its allies in Japan (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). During the later Tomb period, the Asuka, a group called the Soga, who are associated with Korea, even took power in the royal court, marrying into various royal families and manipulating factions to maintain control (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter
In 645 CE, Tenji and Nakatomi no Kamatari overthrew the power of the Soga and Tenji took the throne as ruler (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). They purged Soga supporters and began to build their own institutions and social infrastructure. This new regime began to create a centralized, stronger government, with a strong military and an extensive taxation system. Tenji died in 672 CE, and there was a civil war over who would take power until Tenmu was victorious (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). Tenmu strengthened the government even more, building a bureaucracy, developing laws, supporting religious institutions (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). He was responsible for the name “Nihon” for Japan. Eventually, Japanese leaders decided it would be advantageous to create a permanent capital city, and so they developed Nara as the capital, modeling it after the Chinese capital of that time (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). Nara had a population of about 100,000 people, and it was surrounded by gates and laid out on a grid in a sophisticated design. The city contained official markets connected by canals that led ultimately to ports for easy trade (Schirokauer, Conrad and Miranda Brown, et al, Chapter 6). Both Buddhism and Shintoism played an important role in supporting the legitimacy of the leaders. These