Communities, courts & constitutionsOur World

Japan

Trace selected changes in the Japanese archipelago from prehistoric communities to the postwar constitution.

Subject guide · scope, chapters & sources ↗

Curated overview · Archaeological cultures are not modern nation-states. Legendary founding dates are not presented as historical facts. This selection is not a complete account of Japan’s history or empire.

c. 14,500 BCE onwardEast Asia

Jōmon communities

Pottery-making communities develop across the archipelago.

Jōmon earthenware vessel with an elaborate flame-like raised rim. — Daderot · CC0

6th century CEEast Asia

Buddhism reaches Japan

Religious exchange strengthens continental connections.

Historic photograph of a seated Buddha flanked by two standing attendants. — Ogawa Kazumasa; National Gallery of Art Library · Public domain

710 CEEast Asia

A capital at Heijō-kyō

The imperial court establishes its capital at Nara.

Reconstructed red-and-white two-storey Suzakumon gate at the Heijō Palace site. — Tokumeigakarinoaoshima · CC BY-SA 4.0

1603 CEEast Asia

Tokugawa government in Edo

A shogunate begins a long period of rule.

Painted portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu seated in ceremonial robes. — Kanō Tan’yū; Osaka Castle Museum · Public domain

1868 CEEast Asia

The Meiji Restoration

Political upheaval ends shogunate rule.

Seated Emperor Meiji wearing a formal military uniform in an 1873 portrait. — Uchida Kuichi · Public domain

3 May 1947East Asia

A postwar constitutional order

The Constitution places sovereignty with the people.