Japan Through Time
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全国の年表

National timeline

228 events

Follow the broad course of Japanese history through events from the prefecture timelines. Choose an event to see it on its prefecture's timeline; events that concern the whole country open here with their sources.

The headings use the period names common across Japan. Hokkaido and Okinawa have period names of their own, such as the Okhotsk period and Ancient Ryukyu, which their own timelines use.

Paleolithic

  1. About 37,000 years agoNationwide

Jōmon

  1. More than 15,000 years agoPottery comes into use: the Ōdai Yamamoto siteAomori
  2. c. 3900–2200 BCESannai-Maruyama settlement developsAomoriRead the article →
  3. Middle Jomon periodFlame-style pottery appears in Middle Jomon NagaokaNiigataRead the article →

Yayoi

  1. Around the 10th century BCEWet-rice farming begins in northern KyushuFukuokaSaga
  2. Yayoi period (about 5th century BCE – 3rd century CE)Yoshinogari grows into a large moated Yayoi settlementSagaRead the article →
  3. Yayoi periodToro preserves a Yayoi settlement and rice fieldsShizuoka
  4. 57The king of Na sends an envoy to the Later Han and receives a sealFukuoka
  5. 239Nationwide

Kofun

  1. Mid- to late 3rd centuryThe great keyhole tomb of Hashihaka is builtNara
  2. Late 4th – late 5th centuryThe Mozu and Furuichi burial mounds are built for ancient kingsOsakaRead the article →
  3. c. 5th–11th centuries CE (regional endpoints vary)Okhotsk culture flourishes along northern and eastern HokkaidoHokkaidoHokkaido
  4. 5th centuryNationwide
  5. Late 5th – early 6th centuryThe Eta Funayama burial mound is builtKumamoto
  6. 538 or 552Nationwide
  7. 588–596Soga no Umako builds Asukadera, Japan's first full-scale Buddhist templeNaraRead the article →

Asuka

  1. From 592Prince Shōtoku (Prince Umayado) takes part in government under Empress SuikoNara
  2. 603Nationwide
  3. 604Nationwide
  4. 607Nationwide
  5. 630Nationwide
  6. 645The Isshi Incident and the Taika ReformsNara
  7. 645 – about 784The court moves to Naniwa, and Naniwa Palace is builtOsaka
  8. Late Asuka period – mid-11th centuryKōrokan guesthouse becomes a stage for diplomacy and tradeFukuokaRead the article →
  9. 663Nationwide
  10. 664The Mizuki earthwork is built to defend DazaifuFukuokaRead the article →
  11. 667–672The capital moves to Ōtsu in ŌmiShiga
  12. 672The Jinshin WarNaraShiga
  13. 694–710Empress Jitō moves the court to Fujiwara-kyōNaraRead the article →
  14. 8th–early 9th centuriesCourt expansion brings sustained conflict and negotiation with Emishi communitiesMiyagiRead the article →
  15. 701Nationwide
  16. 708Nationwide

Nara

  1. 710The capital moves to Heijō-kyōNara
  2. 712 (Kojiki) and 720 (Nihon shoki)The Kojiki and Nihon shoki record the myths set in HyūgaMiyazakiRead the article →
  3. 724Tagajo is established as a northern administrative and military centerMiyagiRead the article →
  4. 741Nationwide
  5. 743–752Emperor Shōmu orders the Great Buddha of Tōdaiji, consecrated in 752NaraRead the article →
  6. 743Nationwide
  7. 753Ganjin lands at Akime in SatsumaKagoshima
  8. 756Empress Kōmyō dedicates Emperor Shōmu's belongings to Tōdaiji, beginning the Shōsōin treasuresNara
  9. 788Saichō founds the temple that becomes Enryakuji on Mount HieiShigaRead the article →
  10. 789–802Sakanoue no Tamuramaro and the court's expeditions to IsawaIwate

Heian

  1. 794Emperor Kanmu moves the capital to Heian-kyōKyoto
  2. 802Isawa Castle is founded as the frontier administration advancesIwate
  3. 816Kūkai receives imperial permission to found a monastery on KōyasanWakayama
  4. Kanpyō 6 (894)Nationwide
  5. 903Sugawara no Michizane dies at Dazaifu, and his grave becomes the origin of Dazaifu TenmangūFukuoka
  6. About Engi 5 (905)The Kokin Wakashū anthology is compiledKyoto
  7. Tengyō 2–4 (939–941)The rebellion of Fujiwara no SumitomoEhime
  8. Tengyō 2–3 (939–940)The rebellion of Taira no MasakadoIbaraki
  9. 1008–1010Murasaki Shikibu records life at the imperial court in her diaryKyotoRead the article →
  10. late 11th centuryThe Northern Fujiwara establish Hiraizumi as their political and ritual centerIwateRead the article →
  11. Eishō 6 – Kōhei 5 (1051–1062)The Former Nine Years' WarIwate
  12. 1053Fujiwara no Yorimichi dedicates the Phoenix Hall at ByōdōinKyoto
  13. Eihō 3 – Kanji 1 (1083–1087)The Later Three Years' WarAkita
  14. Ōtoku 3 (1086)Retired Emperor Shirakawa begins rule from retirementKyoto
  15. Insei period (rule by retired emperors)Retired emperors make repeated pilgrimages to KumanoWakayamaRead the article →
  16. Gusuku period (about 12th–15th century)Gusuku fortresses rise in the Ryukyu IslandsOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →
  17. 1156Retired Emperor Sutoku is exiled to Sanuki after the Hōgen RebellionKagawa
  18. 1159The Heiji RebellionKyoto
  19. Nin'an 2 (1167)Taira no Kiyomori becomes Grand ChancellorKyoto
  20. 1168Taira no Kiyomori rebuilds Itsukushima ShrineHiroshimaRead the article →
  21. 1180s–1190sKamakura becomes the center of an emerging warrior governmentKanagawaRead the article →
  22. 1180–1203Tōdaiji and Kōfukuji burn in 1180 and are rebuiltNaraRead the article →

Kamakura

  1. 1185Nationwide
  2. 24th day of the 3rd month, Genryaku 2 / Juei 4 (1185, lunar calendar)The Minamoto defeat the Taira at Dan-no-uraYamaguchi
  3. 1189The Northern Fujiwara regime at Hiraizumi fallsIwateRead the article →
  4. 1192Minamoto no Yoritomo is appointed shogunKanagawa
  5. 13th–14th centuriesZen institutions become major parts of Kamakura's religious cultureKanagawaRead the article →
  6. 1221Retired Emperor Go-Toba is exiled to OkiShimane
  7. 1232The Goseibai Shikimoku law code is issuedKanagawa
  8. 1252Casting of the Great Buddha of Kamakura is said to beginKanagawa
  9. 1253Nichiren declares his teaching at SeichōjiChiba
  10. 1274–1281Mongol forces attack Hakata Bay, and a stone defense wall is builtFukuoka
  11. Einin 5 (1297)Nationwide

Nanbokuchō

  1. 1333The Kamakura shogunate fallsKanagawa
  2. Shōkei 2 (1333)Emperor Go-Daigo begins the Kenmu RestorationKyoto
  3. 1336Emperor Go-Daigo moves to Yoshino, where the Southern Court beginsNara
  4. 1338Ashikaga Takauji becomes shogunKyoto
  5. 1372Chūzan sends its first envoy to Ming ChinaOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →

Muromachi

  1. Meitoku 3 (1392)The Northern and Southern Courts are unitedKyotoNara
  2. 1397Ashikaga Yoshimitsu begins building the Kitayama villa, home of the Golden PavilionKyoto
  3. 15th centurySea-otter fur trade links Ainu communities with HonshuHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  4. Ōei 8 (1401)Nationwide
  5. 1428The Shōchō uprisingKyoto
  6. 1429Shō Hashi unifies the three kingdoms of OkinawaOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →

Sengoku (Warring States)

  1. 1467–1477The Ōnin War turns Kyoto into a battlefieldKyoto
  2. 1482Ashikaga Yoshimasa begins building Higashiyama-dono, the later Ginkaku-jiKyoto
  3. 1488The 1488 Ikko uprising captures Togashi Masachika's Takao CastleIshikawa
  4. 1527–1923Iwami Ginzan silver mine operates for about 400 yearsShimaneRead the article →
  5. 1543Firearms arrive on TanegashimaKagoshima
  6. 1549Francis Xavier lands in KagoshimaKagoshima
  7. 1555–1560Oda Nobunaga unifies Owari and wins at OkehazamaAichi
  8. 1571Nagasaki opens as a port for Portuguese shipsNagasakiRead the article →
  9. 1571Oda Nobunaga burns Enryakuji and SakamotoShigaRead the article →

Azuchi-Momoyama

  1. 1573Ashikaga Yoshiaki is driven from Kyoto and the Muromachi shogunate endsKyoto
  2. 1575The Battle of Nagashino and Shitaragahara is foughtAichi
  3. 1576Oda Nobunaga begins building Azuchi CastleShiga
  4. 1582Akechi Mitsuhide attacks Oda Nobunaga at HonnōjiKyotoRead the article →
  5. 1582The Tenshō embassy of four young students leaves Nagasaki for EuropeNagasaki
  6. 1582–1598Nationwide
  7. 1583Toyotomi Hideyoshi begins building Osaka CastleOsaka
  8. 1587Toyotomi Hideyoshi issues an edict expelling Christian missionariesNagasaki
  9. 1588Nationwide
  10. 1590Odawara surrenders to Toyotomi forcesKanagawa
  11. 1591–1598Nagoya Castle becomes the base for Hideyoshi's Korean campaigns (Bunroku and Keichō)Saga
  12. 19th day of the 12th month, Keichō 1 (lunar calendar; February 5, 1597, in the Western calendar)Twenty-six Christians are executed at Nishizaka in NagasakiNagasaki
  13. 1600The Battle of Sekigahara is foughtGifuRead the article →

Edo

  1. Early 17th centuryJapan's first porcelain is made at AritaSagaRead the article →
  2. 1603Tokugawa Ieyasu establishes the shogunate centered on EdoTokyoRead the article →
  3. 1604Tokugawa Ieyasu grants Matsumae authority over Ainu tradeHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  4. 1607Nationwide
  5. 1609Satsuma invades the Ryukyu KingdomOkinawaOkinawaKagoshimaRead the article →
  6. 1612–1614Nationwide
  7. 1613–1620The Keicho Embassy crosses the Pacific and AtlanticMiyagiRead the article →
  8. 1614–1615The Sieges of Osaka end the Toyotomi familyOsaka
  9. 1615Nationwide
  10. 1617Toshogu is founded at NikkoTochigiRead the article →
  11. 1635Nationwide
  12. 1637–1638The Shimabara–Amakusa UprisingNagasakiKumamoto
  13. 1639Portuguese ships are banned from coming to JapanNagasaki
  14. 1641The Dutch trading post moves from Hirado to DejimaNagasakiRead the article →
  15. 1650, 1705, 1771, 1830Millions of people make sudden pilgrimages to IseMieRead the article →
  16. 1657The Great Fire of Meireki devastates EdoTokyo
  17. 1669Shakushain's WarHokkaidoHokkaido
  18. 1684Takemoto Gidayū opens the Takemoto-za, and Bunraku puppet theater growsOsaka
  19. Genroku 2 (1689)Matsuo Bashō ends his Oku no Hosomichi journey at ŌgakiGifu
  20. About 1697 – 1730The Dōjima Rice Market becomes an officially recognized exchangeOsakaRead the article →
  21. 18th centuryMerchant management reshapes trade at Ezochi trading postsHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  22. 18th–19th centuriesCommercial publishing expands Edo popular cultureTokyoRead the article →
  23. 1701–1703The Akō Incident and the forty-seven rōninHyogo
  24. 1716Kii domain lord Tokugawa Yoshimune becomes the eighth shogunWakayama
  25. 1774Sugita Genpaku and his colleagues publish Kaitai ShinshoFukui
  26. 1783–1792Daikokuya Kōdayū drifts to the Aleutians, crosses Russia and returns to JapanMie
  27. 1787–1793Nationwide
  28. 1808The British warship Phaeton enters Nagasaki harborNagasaki
  29. 1825Nationwide
  30. 1837Ōshio Heihachirō rises in revolt in OsakaOsaka
  31. From 1841 (Tenpō 12), for just over two yearsNationwide
  32. 1853Perry's fleet arrives off UragaKanagawaRead the article →
  33. 1854Japan and the United States sign the Treaty of Peace and AmityKanagawa
  34. 1858Nationwide
  35. From the 7th day of the 9th month, Ansei 5 (1858, lunar calendar)Nationwide
  36. Ansei 6, month 6 day 2 / 1 July 1859 GregorianYokohama opens as a treaty portKanagawaHokkaidoRead the article →
  37. 1860Ii Naosuke is killed outside Sakurada GateTokyo
  38. 1862British riders are attacked at NamamugiKanagawa
  39. 1862–1867Sakamoto Ryōma leaves Tosa and becomes active in the late Edo upheavalsKochi
  40. 1863The Anglo-Satsuma War is fought at KagoshimaKagoshima
  41. 1863–1864The Chōshū domain fights foreign fleets at ShimonosekiYamaguchi
  42. 1866Satsuma and Chōshū conclude a pact in KyotoKyoto
  43. 1867Tokugawa Yoshinobu announces the return of power to the emperor at Nijō CastleKyoto
  44. 1867The decree restoring imperial rule is issuedKyoto

Meiji

  1. 1868The Aizu War culminates in the siege and surrender of AizuwakamatsuFukushimaRead the article →
  2. 1868The Battle of Toba-Fushimi begins the Boshin WarKyoto
  3. 1868The Charter Oath of Five Articles is issuedKyoto
  4. 1868Edo is renamed Tokyo and Tokyo-fu is establishedTokyo
  5. 1869The Hokkaido Development Commission is establishedHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  6. 1869The former shogunate's forces surrender at Goryōkaku and the Boshin War endsHokkaidoHokkaido
  7. 1869Ezochi is renamed HokkaidoHokkaidoHokkaido
  8. 1869Nationwide
  9. 1871Nationwide
  10. 1871Nationwide
  11. 1872Tomioka Silk Mill begins operationsGunmaRead the article →
  12. 1872The 1872 land regulation expropriates Ainu-used landsHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  13. 1872Nationwide
  14. 1872The railway between Shinbashi and Yokohama opensTokyoKanagawa
  15. 1873Nationwide
  16. 1873Nationwide
  17. 1874Itagaki Taisuke founds the Risshisha in KōchiKochiRead the article →
  18. 1877The Satsuma RebellionKumamotoMiyazakiKagoshimaRead the article →
  19. 1879The Ryukyu domain is abolished and Okinawa Prefecture is establishedOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →
  20. 1889The Constitution of the Empire of Japan is promulgatedTokyo
  21. 1890–1904Communities organize against Ashio mine pollutionTochigiRead the article →
  22. November 25 (convened) and November 29 (opening ceremony), 1890 (Meiji 23)The first Imperial Diet is convened and formally openedTokyo
  23. 1894Nationwide
  24. 1895The Treaty of Shimonoseki ends the First Sino-Japanese WarYamaguchi
  25. 1896The Meiji Sanriku earthquake tsunami devastates the Iwate coastIwateRead the article →
  26. 1899The Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act is enactedHokkaidoHokkaido
  27. 1899The first group of emigrants leaves Okinawa for HawaiiOkinawaOkinawa
  28. 1901The government-run Yawata Steel Works fires up its first blast furnaceFukuokaRead the article →
  29. 1902Nationwide
  30. 1904Nationwide
  31. 1905Komura Jutarō signs the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese WarMiyazaki
  32. 1910Nationwide
  33. 1911Nationwide

Taishō

  1. 1914Nationwide
  2. 1918Hara Takashi of Morioka becomes prime minister and forms a party cabinetIwate
  3. 1918The 1918 rice disturbances begin in UozuToyama
  4. 1923The Great Kanto Earthquake devastates TokyoTokyoKanagawaRead the article →
  5. 1925Nationwide

Shōwa

  1. 1931Nationwide
  2. 1932Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi is shot dead in the May 15 IncidentTokyo
  3. 1933Nationwide
  4. 1936Young army officers stage the February 26 Incident in TokyoTokyo
  5. 1937–1938Toyota Motor is established and builds the Koromo plantAichiRead the article →
  6. 1937Nationwide
  7. 1941Nationwide
  8. 1942–1945Repeated air raids devastate TokyoTokyoAichiOsakaAomoriMiyagiHyogoFukuokaOita
  9. 1945An atomic bomb is dropped on HiroshimaHiroshimaRead the article →
  10. 1945An atomic bomb is dropped on NagasakiNagasakiRead the article →
  11. 1945Nationwide
  12. 1945–1952Nationwide
  13. 1945The Battle of OkinawaOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →
  14. 1946–1949Iwajuku finds and excavations establish a Japanese Paleolithic recordGunmaRead the article →
  15. 1946–1947Nationwide
  16. 1949Fire damages the Hōryūji Kondō, leading to a new heritage lawNara
  17. 1951–1952Nationwide
  18. 1953The Amami Islands return to JapanKagoshimaRead the article →
  19. Mid-1950s to mid-1970s (period differs by source)Nationwide
  20. 1956Minamata disease is officially confirmedKumamotoRead the article →
  21. 1956Nationwide
  22. 1959The Ise Bay Typhoon inundates southern NagoyaAichiMie
  23. 1964Tokyo hosts the 1964 Summer OlympicsTokyo
  24. 1964The Tōkaidō Shinkansen opensTokyoOsaka
  25. 1970Expo '70 is held in OsakaOsaka
  26. 1972Nationwide
  27. 1972Okinawa returns to Japanese administrationOkinawaOkinawaRead the article →
  28. 1973Nationwide

Heisei

  1. 1989Nationwide
  2. 1995The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake strikesHyogoRead the article →
  3. 1997The Kyoto Protocol is adoptedKyoto
  4. 2011The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami devastate coastal IwateIwateMiyagiFukushimaRead the article →
  5. 2019The Ainu Policy Promotion Act is promulgatedHokkaidoHokkaido

Reiwa

  1. 2019Nationwide
  2. 2020Upopoy and the National Ainu Museum open in ShiraoiHokkaidoHokkaidoRead the article →
  3. From January 15, 2020Nationwide
  4. 2021The postponed Tokyo 2020 Games are held in 2021Tokyo
  5. 2024The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake strikesIshikawaRead the article →