Editing Nara Prefecture (section)

==History==
{{see also|Asuka period|Nara period|Historic Sites of Nara Prefecture}}
The Nara Prefecture region is considered one of the oldest [[regions in Japan]], having been in existence for thousands of years, and is widely viewed as the Japanese [[cradle of civilization]]. Like [[Kyoto]], Nara was one of [[Imperial Japan]]'s earliest [[Capital of Japan|capital]] cities.<ref>{{cite book | given = Keiji | surname = Imamura | pages = 13 | title = Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia | publisher = University of Hawaii Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | given = Pradyumna Prasad | surname = Karan | pages = 237 | title = Japan in the 21st Century: Environment, Economy, and Society | publisher = University Press of Kentucky}}</ref> The current form of Nara Prefecture was officially created in 1887 when it became independent of [[Osaka Prefecture]].

Historically, Nara Prefecture was also known as [[Yamato Province|Yamato-no-kuni]] or Yamato Province.<ref>Nussbaum, "Yamato" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 1046|page=1046}}.</ref>

===Up to Nara period===
From the third century to the fourth century, a poorly documented political force existed at the foot of [[Mount Miwa]], east of Nara Basin.  It sought unification of most parts in Japan. Since the historical beginning of Japan, [[Yamato Province|Yamato]] was its political center.

Ancient capitals of Japan were built on the land of Nara, namely [[Asuka, Yamato|Asuka-kyō]], [[Fujiwara-kyō]] (694–710)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/en/list/29/J84604/p/2/item/14924?sort=publish_date%253Ar|title=藤原宮大極殿院の調査(飛鳥藤原第182次)|last=奈良文化財研究所|date=2014-11-08|website=Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref> and [[Heijō-kyō]] (most of 710–784).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sitereports.nabunken.go.jp/291|title=出土品に見る奈良のやきものと暮らし|last=奈良市埋蔵文化財調査センター|date=2009-11-02|website=Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan|access-date=2016-09-02}}</ref> The capital cities of Fujiwara and Heijō are believed to have been modeled after Chinese capitals at the time, incorporating grid layout patterns. The royal court also established relations with [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] and then [[Tang dynasty]] China and sent students to the Middle Kingdom to learn high civilization. By 7th century, Nara accepted the many immigrants including refugees of [[Baekje]] who had escaped from war disturbances of the southern part of the [[Korean Peninsula]]. The first high civilization with royal patronage of [[Buddhism]] flourished in today's Nara city (710–784 AD).

===Nara in the Heian period===
[[File:Kofukuji12st5s3200.jpg|thumb|right|Kōfuku-ji]]

In 784, [[Emperor Kanmu]] decided to relocate the capital to [[Nagaoka-kyō]] in [[Yamashiro Province]], followed by another move in 794 to [[Heian-kyō]],  marking the start of the [[Heian period]]. The temples in Nara remained powerful beyond the move of political capital, thus giving Nara a synonym of "Nanto" (meaning "South Capital") as opposed to Heian-kyō, situated in the north. Close to the end of Heian period, [[Taira no Shigehira]], a son of [[Taira no Kiyomori]], was ordered by his father to depress the power of various parties, mainly [[Kōfuku-ji]] and [[Tōdai-ji]], who were backing up an opposition group headed by [[Prince Mochihito]]. The movement led to a collision between the [[Taira clan|Taira]] and the Nara temples in 1180. This clash eventually led to [[Kōfuku-ji]] and [[Tōdai-ji]] being set on fire, resulting in vast destruction of architectural heritage.

===Medieval Nara===
[[File:Kouyou of Yoshinoyama.JPG|thumb|right|The red autumn leaves in Yoshino]]

At the rise of the [[Minamoto clan|Minamoto]] to its ruling seat and the opening of [[Kamakura shogunate]], Nara enjoyed the support of [[Minamoto no Yoritomo]] toward restoration. [[Kōfuku-ji]], being the "home temple" to the [[Fujiwara clan|Fujiwara]] since its foundation, not only regained the power it had before but became a ''de facto'' regional chief of Yamato Province. With the reconstruction of [[Kōfuku-ji]] and [[Tōdai-ji]], a town was growing again near the two temples.

The [[Nanboku-chō period]], starting in 1336, brought more instability to Nara. As [[Emperor Go-Daigo]] chose [[Yoshino District|Yoshino]] as his base, a power struggle arose in Kōfuku-ji with a group supporting the South and another siding the North court. Likewise, local clans were split into two. Kōfuku-ji recovered its control over the province for a short time at the surrender of the South Court in 1392, while the internal power game of the temple itself opened a way for the local samurai clans to spring up and fight with each other, gradually acquiring their own territories, thus diminishing the influence of Kōfuku-ji overall.

===The Sengoku and Edo periods ===
[[File:Koriyama Castle Nara-b.jpg|thumb|The restored turret of [[Kōriyama Castle (Nara Prefecture)|Kōriyama Castle]]]]

Later, the whole province of Yamato got drawn into the confusion of the [[Sengoku period]]. Tōdai-ji was once again set on fire in 1567, when [[Matsunaga Hisahide]], who was later appointed by [[Oda Nobunaga]] to the lord of Yamato Province, fought for supremacy against his former master [[Miyoshi clan|Miyoshi family]]. Followed by short appointments of [[Tsutsui Junkei]] and [[Toyotomi Hidenaga]] by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] to the lord, the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] ultimately ruled the city of Nara directly, and most parts of Yamato province with a few feudal lords allocated at [[Yamatokōriyama|Kōriyama]], [[Takatori, Nara|Takatori]] and other places. With industry and commerce developing in the 18th century, the economy of the province was incorporated into prosperous [[Osaka]], the commercial capital of Japan at the time.

=== From the establishment of Nara Prefecture to the present===
A first prefecture (briefly ''-fu'' in 1868, but ''-ken'' for most of the time)<ref>[http://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf 奈良県の誕生 ("The birth of Nara prefecture")], Nara Prefectural Library, retrieved March 15, 2019.</ref> named Nara was established in the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868 as successor to the shogunate administration of the shogunate city and shogunate lands in Yamato. After the 1871 [[Abolition of the han system]], Nara was merged with other prefectures (from former han, see [[List of Han#Yamato Province]]) and cleared of ex-/enclaves to encompass all of Yamato province. In 1876, Nara was merged into [[Sakai Prefecture|Sakai]] which in turn became part of Osaka in 1881. In 1887, Nara became independent again, with [[Saisho Atsushi]] as the first governor.<ref>{{Cite web| title=奈良県のはじまり | language=ja | trans-title=The origins of Nara Prefecture | url=https://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418104730/https://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf | archive-date=2021-04-18}}</ref><ref name="wwnaraken">Nara Prefecture for children: [http://www.pref.nara.jp/1335.htm ならけんはいつできたのかな (~"When was Nara prefecture created?")], Nara Prefectural Government, retrieved March 15, 2019.</ref> The first prefectural assembly of Nara was elected in the same year and opened its first session in 1888 in the gallery of the main hall of Tōdai temple.<ref name="wwnaraken"/>

In the 1889 Great Meiji mergers which subdivided all (then 45) prefectures into modern [[Municipalities of Japan|municipalities]], Nara prefecture's 16 [[Districts of Japan|districts]] were subdivided into 154 municipalities: 10 [[Towns of Japan|towns]] and 144 [[Villages of Japan|villages]]. The first [[Cities of Japan|city]] in Nara was only established in 1898 when Nara Town from [[Soekami District, Nara|Soekami District]] was made district-independent to become [[Nara, Nara|Nara City]] (see [[List of mergers in Nara Prefecture]] and [[List of mergers in Osaka Prefecture]]).

The economic dependency to Osaka even characterizes today's Nara Prefecture, for many inhabitants commute to Osaka to work or study there.