Emperor Temmu Research Paper
EALC10111
Introduction to Japanese History and Culture
How did the imperial clan (particularly Emperor Tmmu and his successors) go about the task of strengthening imperial rule duing 7th and 8th centuries?
9174026
Strengthening the power of the imperial family is the most essential element to show authority to other countries. However, a country must have a well-organized system, a strong defensive ability, and a cleaver ruler as the most important features to rule a country. This paper is going to focus on the actions that Emperor Temmu and his successors take in order to reveal the power of authority and enrich the status of Japan during the 7th and 8th century. First, this paper will discuss …show more content…
1970, p45). After Temmu had the throne as an emperor, many ideas of strengthening Japan emerged. The first actions Emperor Temmu took was to reinforce the defense of military forces by transferring clan chiefs into heads of leading military, build up imperial armies to protect the capital, and also restructure the highways for increasing the movement of troops. Even though the level of clan had upgraded, Emperor Temmu would not put non-imperial clans to serve under himself, but tried to increase the responsibilities of the members of imperial family. He wanted the imperial relatives to dominate the government in order to show his power in his reign. Moreover, he established a new title system for rewarding the clan chiefs based on a specific incident that the clan chiefs of non-imperial family had done. First ranking was mahito, then followed by asomi, sukune, imiki, and the last ranking were michi no shi, omi, muraji, and inaki (Brown, D. 1993, …show more content…
At first, Japan was not in a good position to defeat the strong countries that surrounded it. However, after realizing that Japan itself needed a better and stronger status, Emperors in Japan started to focus on strengthening the Imperial rule. Therefore, with the influences from China and Korea, Emperors learned ways to protect themselves better. A good defense of military affairs, strong religion belief in Shinto and Buddhism, changes in locations of capitals and people, and a systematical legal affair could be the important features that resulted in a powerful state without being frightened by external threats. These factors lead Japan to become a more successful country and had the ability of strengthening the imperial rule resulting in not being easily defeated.
References
Brown, D. 1993. The Cambridge History of Japan Volume 1: Ancient Japan. [e-book] Naoki Kōjirō, Felicia G. Bock. pp. 221-267. Available through: Cambridge Histories Online http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/histories/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9781139055062&cid=CBO9781139055062A009 [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].
Hiraizumi, K. 1997. The story of Japan Vol 1: History from the Founding of the Nation to the Height of Fujiwara Prosperity. Nakamura: Seisei Kikaku.
Hall, J. 1970. Japan from prehistory
Introduction to Japanese History and Culture
How did the imperial clan (particularly Emperor Tmmu and his successors) go about the task of strengthening imperial rule duing 7th and 8th centuries?
9174026
Strengthening the power of the imperial family is the most essential element to show authority to other countries. However, a country must have a well-organized system, a strong defensive ability, and a cleaver ruler as the most important features to rule a country. This paper is going to focus on the actions that Emperor Temmu and his successors take in order to reveal the power of authority and enrich the status of Japan during the 7th and 8th century. First, this paper will discuss …show more content…
1970, p45). After Temmu had the throne as an emperor, many ideas of strengthening Japan emerged. The first actions Emperor Temmu took was to reinforce the defense of military forces by transferring clan chiefs into heads of leading military, build up imperial armies to protect the capital, and also restructure the highways for increasing the movement of troops. Even though the level of clan had upgraded, Emperor Temmu would not put non-imperial clans to serve under himself, but tried to increase the responsibilities of the members of imperial family. He wanted the imperial relatives to dominate the government in order to show his power in his reign. Moreover, he established a new title system for rewarding the clan chiefs based on a specific incident that the clan chiefs of non-imperial family had done. First ranking was mahito, then followed by asomi, sukune, imiki, and the last ranking were michi no shi, omi, muraji, and inaki (Brown, D. 1993, …show more content…
At first, Japan was not in a good position to defeat the strong countries that surrounded it. However, after realizing that Japan itself needed a better and stronger status, Emperors in Japan started to focus on strengthening the Imperial rule. Therefore, with the influences from China and Korea, Emperors learned ways to protect themselves better. A good defense of military affairs, strong religion belief in Shinto and Buddhism, changes in locations of capitals and people, and a systematical legal affair could be the important features that resulted in a powerful state without being frightened by external threats. These factors lead Japan to become a more successful country and had the ability of strengthening the imperial rule resulting in not being easily defeated.
References
Brown, D. 1993. The Cambridge History of Japan Volume 1: Ancient Japan. [e-book] Naoki Kōjirō, Felicia G. Bock. pp. 221-267. Available through: Cambridge Histories Online http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/histories/chapter.jsf?bid=CBO9781139055062&cid=CBO9781139055062A009 [Accessed: 20 Nov 2013].
Hiraizumi, K. 1997. The story of Japan Vol 1: History from the Founding of the Nation to the Height of Fujiwara Prosperity. Nakamura: Seisei Kikaku.
Hall, J. 1970. Japan from prehistory