Heijō-kyō Ruins

Heijō-kyō was the capital city established approximately 1300 years ago in what is now Nara City. It was the center of the Ritsuryō state system and the flourishing of the Tenpyō culture. The 74 years centered around Heijō-kyō are known as the Nara period. Heijō-kyō was established in the year 710 AD. Empress Genmei relocated the capital from Fujiwara-kyō to create a new, large-scale city as the political center based on the Ritsuryō system. The model for Heijō-kyō was Chang'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty in China, which was the most culturally advanced city at the time.