• Japan, 500-1000 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The introduction of Buddhism to the Japanese archipelago from China and Korea in the sixth century causes momentous changes amounting to a fundamentally different way of life for the Japanese. Along with the foreign faith, Japan establishes and maintains for 400 years close connections with the Chinese and Korean courts and adopts a more sophisticated culture." With a period overview, list of key events, and five related artworks.

• Asuka and Nara Periods [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
A short introduction, with images of three artworks in the museum's collection.

• Early Japan (50,000 BC - 710 AD) [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
An overview of Japanese history from 50,000 BCE to 710 CE. Section 5 is about the Asuka period (called the Yamato period in this article).

• Powerful Soga clan in ancient Japan likely of Korean origin [Asahi Shimbun]

• Japan Rediscovers its Korean Past [New York Times]

• Japan, 500-1000 A.D. [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
"The introduction of Buddhism to the Japanese archipelago from China and Korea in the sixth century causes momentous changes amounting to a fundamentally different way of life for the Japanese. Along with the foreign faith, Japan establishes and maintains for 400 years close connections with the Chinese and Korean courts and adopts a more sophisticated culture." With a period overview, list of key events, and five related artworks.

• Asuka and Nara Periods [Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
A short introduction, with images of three artworks in the museum's collection.

• Nara and Heian Japan (710 AD - 1185 AD) [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
An overview of Japan's Nara and Heian periods. Discusses the Fujiwara family, their private estates, and the rise of the warrior.

• Heian Japan: An Introductory Essay [Program for Teaching East Asia, Center for Asian Studies, University of Colorado]
Essay highlighting the key points of Japanese history during the Heian Period, including the moving of the capital from Nara, the turning away from Chinese models, the Fujiwara family and the Heian aristocracy, and Buddhism in Japan. Part of a larger unit for teaching the Heian Period through art.

Video Unit • Classical Japan [Asia for Educators]
An introduction to Classical Japan covering the influence of Chinese culture on Classical Japan, the Imperial family, the Nara period, Buddhism, Shinto, the Japanese language, and Japanese poetry of the period. Featuring Columbia University professors Donald Keene, Carol Gluck, Haruo Shirane, and Paul Varley, and Asia Society President Emeritus Robert Oxnam. Section Topics:

• Todai-ji and the Shosoin Repository [Smart History]
"When completed in the 740s, Tōdai-ji (or 'Great Eastern Temple') was the largest building project ever on Japanese soil. Its creation reflects the complex intermingling of Buddhism and politics in early Japan. When it was rebuilt in the twelfth century, it ushered in a new era of Shoguns and helped to found Japan's most celebrated school of sculpture. It was built to impress. Twice...The roots of Tōdai-ji are found in the arrival of Buddhism in Japan in the sixth century. Buddhism made its way from India along the Silk Route through Central Asia, China and Korea. Mahayana Buddhism was officially introduced to the Japanese Imperial court around 552 by an emissary from a Korean king who offered the Japanese Emperor Kimmei a gilded bronze statue of the Buddha, a copy of the Buddhist sutras (sacred writings) and a letter stating: 'This doctrine can create religious merit and retribution without measure and bounds and so lead on to a full appreciation of the highest wisdom.'"

• The Shosoin Repository and its Treasure (on the grounds of the Todai-ji) [Smart History]
"In the Japanese city, Nara, on the northwest rear corner of Tōdai-ji Temple's Daibutsuden Hall stands a building largely unaltered since the 8th century...For almost 1200 years, until the twentieth century, it preserved in excellent condition approximately nine thousand artifacts from China, Southeast Asia, Iran, and the Middle East—a miscellany connecting ancient Japan to the cultural trade and artistic exchange of the Eurasian continent. While other collections worldwide hold treasures from the ancient Silk Roads, the Shōsōin is unique as a time capsule of the entire known world of its time—when Nara-period Japan glowed as a star in the brilliant cultural cosmos of Tang-dynasty China (618-907)."

• The Legends of Hachiman [Smith College Museum of Art]
From protector of the imperial house, to protector of the Minamoto military house, to protector of the nation, the legend of the Shinto deity, Hachiman, evolved throughout Japanese history...Hachiman was established as the protector of the imperial house through several key events in the Nara period (710-794). One of the most formative was Hachiman's role in the construction of the huge Buddha statue (daibutsu) in Nara. At the time, Emperor Shōmu (701-756) issued an edict to build state-sponsored Buddhist temples in each province in Japan in order to protect the realm. The most important of these was the temple in the capital of Nara, Tōdai-ji, the upmost symbol of national unity and imperial rule. Through an oracle, Hachiman promised the discovery of copper and gold for the casting of the huge Buddha statue that would be housed there. With the successful completion of the project, Hachiman was honored for his invaluable help with first court rank. In this way, Hachiman became a protector of the imperial house. The site provides background on the scrolls, suggestions for viewing a handscroll, and questions for discussion.

• The Japanese Language [Asia for Educators]
This unit presents an overview of the Japanese language, both spoken and written. It includes a chart of the Japanese syllabary and discussion questions/student exercises.

• Japanese Syllabaries [Asia for Educators]
This unit provides an opportunity for students to practice writing both Japanese syllabaries — katakana and hiragana.

• Chinese Characters (Kanji) [Asia for Educators]
This unit provides the opportunity for students to read and write kanji, the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system.

Also see the Video Unit on Classical Japan in the History-Archaeology section (Nara and Heian Periods) for more about the Japanese use of the Chinese writing system.

• Japanese Buddhism [The Art of Asia, Minneapolis Institute of Arts]
A transcript of a video unit on Buddhism in Japan. See also the original media in flash.

• Buddhism in Japan [Asia Society]
"A short history of Buddhism, with special focus on its introduction and development in Japan. Includes an exploration of Zen Buddhism and art imagery."

• Buddhism and Japanese Aesthetics [ExEAS, Columbia University]
This unit provides a general introduction to three aesthetic concepts — mono no aware, wabi-sabi, and yūgen — that are basic to the Japanese arts and “ways” (dō). Secondly, it traces some of the Buddhist (and Shintō) influences on the development of the Japanese aesthetic sensibility.

Kukai, 774-835, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school
Primary Source w/DBQs • "Indications of the Goals of the Three Teachings" (Sango Shiki) and "A School of Arts and Sciences" [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Saicho, 767-822, founder of the Tendai (Tiantai) school
Primary Source w/DBQs • Selected Writings: "Prayer on Mount Hiei"; "On the Possibility of Enlightenment for All Men"; "Vow of the Uninterrupted Study of the Lotus Sutra"; The Mahayana Precepts in Admonitions of the Fanwang Sutra" [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Also see the Video Unit on Classical Japan in the History-Archaeology section (Nara and Heian Periods) for more about Buddhism in Japan during this period.

• The Japanese Missions to Tang China, 7th-9th Centuries [About Japan: A Teacher's Resource]
"On nineteen occasions from 630 to 894, the Japanese court appointed official envoys to Tang China known as kentōshi to serve as political and cultural representatives to China. Fourteen of these missions completed the arduous journey to and from the Chinese capital. The missions brought back elements of Tang civilization that profoundly affected Japan's government, economics, culture, and religion." An in-depth article on the topic.

Prince Shōtoku, 573-621; Constitution, 604 CE
Primary Source w/DBQs • The Constitution of Prince Shōtoku [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Emperor Kōtoku, 596-654; Reform Edict, 646 CE
Primary Source w/DBQs • The Reform Edict of Taika [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Emperor Kammu, 737-806; Kondei System, 792 CE
Primary Source w/DBQs • The Kondei System: An Official Order of the Council of State [PDF] [Asia for Educators]

Also see the Video Unit on Classical Japan in the History-Archaeology section (Nara and Heian Periods) for more about the influence of Confucianism on Prince Shōtoku's Constitution.

Manyôshū, compiled 7th century; Kokinshū, compiled 8th to 10th centuries
Primary Source • The Manyōshū and Kokinshū Poetry Collections [Asia for Educators]
Excerpts from Japan's oldest collections of poems. The Kokinshū was the first collection of poems of the waka form. Followed by discussion questions.

Primary Source • What Is a waka? [Asia for Educators]
An essay about the history and structure of waka (also called tanka), a type of short poem from which the haiku was derived. Followed by discussion questions and classroom exercises.

Also see the Video Unit on Classical Japan in the History-Archaeology section (Nara and Heian Periods) for more about waka poetry and the Manyōshū and Kokinshū poetry collections.

Multimedia • The Culture of Genji [Five College Center for East Asian Studies]
Webinar on Youtube with accompanying handout [PDF].

Multimedia • Tale of Genji [Annenberg/Invitation to World Literature]
Part of the Annenberg Invitation to World Literature series, this excellent introduction to the "Tale of Genji," with short, introductory video, excerpts, maps, slide images of landscape, key points, characters, themes, and more. Specialists providing short insights on video include Patrick Caddeau, Lisa Dalby, and David Damrosch.

• Literature of the Heian Period (794-1185) [Asia for Educators]
Two introductory readings on the aristocratic-court culture of the Heian Period, which produced such literary masterpieces as The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book. One reading is for students; the second reading is provides additional background information for teachers. Both readings are intended to serve as introductions to a lesson about The Tale of Genji, The Pillow Book, or waka.

Primary Source + Lesson Plan + DBQ • Writers of the Heian Era [Women in World History, Center for History and New Media, George Mason University]
An excellent teaching module for Heian-period literature, with four excerpts from The Pillow Book and two excerpts from The Tale of Genji, plus three images from a 12th-century scroll depicting The Tale of Genji. There is also a lesson plan for high school students, "An Intimate Glimpse: Lives of Court Women in Japan," and a document-based question (DBQ).

Primary Source • Excerpts from The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon [Asia for Educators]
With exercises for students.

• Murasaki Shikibu [Women in World History]
A brief biography of the author of The Tale of Genji.

Primary Source • Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan [Digital Library, University of Pennsylvania]
Full text of a 1920 book that includes the diary of Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji.

• The Tale of Genji [Asia for Educators]
A short introduction to The Tale of Genji, followed by an analysis of the famous "Yūgao" chapter. With exercises for students.

Primary Source (in Japanese) • Genji monogatari [Japanese Text Initiative, University of Virginia]
In three versions that can be viewed separately or together — in the original script, in a modernized script, and in romaji.

• The Heart of History: The Tale of Genji [Education About Asia, Association for Asian Studies]
The author suggests "several ways in which aspects of The Tale of Genji may deepen our understanding of Japan during the
Heian period as well as even contemporary Japan." Download PDF on page.

Video Unit • The Tale of Genji [Asia for Educators]
Literary salons, women as authors, and the impact of The Tale of Genji are discussed by the featured speakers: Columbia University professors Haruo Shirane and Paul Varley, and Asia Society President Emeritus Robert Oxnam. Section Topics:

• Japanese Aesthetics and the Tale of Genji [ExEAS, Columbia University]
Using an excerpt from the chapter “The Sacred Tree,” this unit offers a guide to a close examination of Japanese aesthetics in The Tale of Genji (ca.1010). This two-session lesson plan can be used in World Literature courses or any course that teaches components of Zen Buddhism or Japanese aesthetics (e.g. Introduction to Buddhism, the History of Buddhism, Philosophy, Japanese History, Asian Literature, or World Religion).

Lesson Plan • A Case Study of Heian Japan through Art: Japan's Four Great Emaki [Program for Teaching East Asia, Center for Asian Studies, University of Colorado]
"Emakimono or emaki, narrative picture scrolls, developed into a distinctly Japanese art form in the Heian period, 794-1185 CE. In this lesson, students examine four emaki masterpieces to analyze the highly refined court culture, politics, and religion in the late Heian period. Working in groups, they then create preview posters for a museum exhibit featuring the four emaki, providing their interpretation of the facets of Heian culture they believe exhibit-goers should learn." Introductory essay and lesson plan with images of picture scrolls from the period.