| Jōmon 14000 – 1000BC |
| The Japanese archipelago is first inhabited by hunter-gatherers called the Jōmon. The Jōmon were known for their pottery that was created and decorated by pressing rope into wet clay to make patterns. |
| Yayoi 1000 – 300 BC |
| Agriculture was introduced, and bronze and iron tools were used to improve crafting. The population increased about 10 times over the Jōmon by the end of the Yayoi period. And tribes slowly started grouping together and becoming kingdoms. |
| Kofun 300 – 538 AD |
| Most of Japan was unified into a single kingdom ruled by the Yamato clan. The Yamatos were even able to receive diplomacy from China. The period was marked by the construction of massive burial mounds. These mounds were often adorned with clay sculptures—some in sizes hundreds of meters long. |
| Asuka 538 -710 AD |
| Buddhism is introduced to Japan. Eventually, it was integrated into the native Shinto religion. The Buddhist clan, Soga, controlled the government from behind the scenes. The clan was overthrown in 645 by a coup organized by the Prince Naka no Ōe and founder of the Fujiwara clan. |
| Nara 710 – 794 |
| A capital was established in the modern day city of Nara. Japan’s greatest work of poetry, the Man’yōshū, was created. The country suffered from many natural disasters, as well as a small pox outbreak that killed about 25% of the population in 2 years. |
| Heian 794 – 1185 |
| In 812 – 814, another outbreak of small pox killed about half of Japan. Japan continued to boom culturally and many poetry collections and pieces of literature were created. The Tale of Genji, a classical Japanese literary masterpiece was written by Murasaki Shikibu. The kana written syllabaries were developed, as Japan started to distance itself from Chinese influence. The diplomatic and cultural mission to the Chinese Tang dynasty that started in 630, ended sometime in the 9th century. |
| Kamakura 1185 – 1333 |
| Japan came under military rule and the shogunate was the de facto ruler while the Emperor was nothing more than a puppet ruler. The imperial court provided legitimacy to the shogunate located in Kamakura from 1192. There were a few attempted rebellions, but it wasn’t until 1333 that Emperor Go-Daigo rebelled and overthrew the shogunate. In 1274 and 1281, the Mongol Empire attempted invasions; however, during both endeavors, the Mongol fleets were destroyed by typhoons. |
| Muromachi 1333 – 1568 |
| The country broke out in civil war between Emperor Go-Daigo and a new emperor named Emperor Kōmyō. The war lasted from 1338 until a deal was made in 1392. Over time, the Shogunate was losing it’s grip and allies started to consider themselves feudal lords called daimyōs. This eventually led to another civil war in 1467 over who would succeed the current shogun. Amid this long war in 1543, a ship with three Portuguese traders landed near Kyushu. They were the first Europeans to set foot in Japan, and soon many more traders ushered in from Europe. The traders brought technologies with them unknown to the Japanese; muskets as one example. By 1556, Japan’s warring armies had almost 300,000 muskets. |
| Azuchi – Momoyama 1568 – 1600 |
| Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi start to slowly unify Japan again. In 1568, Nobunaga seizes Kyoto ending the Ashikaga Shogunate. By 1582, Nobunaga had reunited most of Japan, but is stopped short of his goal when Akechi Mistuhide, an officer of Nobunaga’s, betrays and kills him. Hideyoshi becomes Nobunaga’s successor and finishes the job of uniting Japan. Hideyoshi then attempts to invade China and Korea to expand, but is defeated. Before his death he asked his subordinates to pledge loyalty to his infant son. Despite their pledge, war breaks out after his death and the former ally of Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, wins and become ruler in 1600. |
| Edo 1603 – 1868 |
| The country entered an era of peace and was maintained by a military government. The shogunate introduced the Laws of Military Houses to help reign in the daimyos. Social unrest is stomped out with harsh punishments such as boiling to death or crucifixion for even minor crimes. Christianity is outlawed in 1638 after the Shimabara Rebellion. The country then closes and introduces an isolationist policy. By the end of the 1600s Japan population doubles to thirty million. There was a large cultural boom with Haiku poetry, kabuki dramas and bunraku puppet shows. |
| Meiji 1868 – 1912 |
| By the end of the Edo era, the power of the shogunate has fallen apart, and by 1869, the emperor, Meji, has full control. The Meji government tries to mirror more western style imperialism and much of feudal Japan undergoes a Westernization. The Japanese imperial army is convinced that it needs to colonize in order to compete with the other western nations. They first take control of Hokkaido and annex the Ryukyu Kingdom. Then, they set their sites on China, Korea, and eventually Russia. They win the island of Taiwan in 1902, and eventually lay claim to Korea with full annexation by 1910. |
| Taisho 1912 – 1926 |
| The Taisho era led to increased democratic ideology and expanded power to Japanese political parties. Laws such as universal Male Suffrage were enacted. And due to Japanese assistance in the World War I on the side of the allies, they were gifted the new colonies in the south pacific that were taken from Germany. |
| Shōwa 1926 – 1989 |
| The first 26 years of the Shōwa period involves Japan’s desire to expand and take new territory with a nationalistic fervor. During World War II in 1941, Japan launched an unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor against the American military. This led to the retaliation of America and the eventual dropping of two atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan then issues its unconditional surrender and comes under occupied rule by America. After helping to rebuild and restructure the Japanese government, the United States leaves and normalizes ties with Japan in 1952. Japan then goes through a post war economic growth and by 1968 has the second largest economy in the world. |
| Heisei 1989 – 2019 |
| In 1989, the stock market crashes along with the Japanese economic golden age. Birthrates drop below replenishment rates and the banks find themselves burdened with massive debts. The 1990s became known as the Lost Decade. Culturally, Japan gains worldwide interest in its anime, manga, and video games. In 2011, A massive earthquake rocks the northeastern part of the country. The resulting tsunami damages the Fukashima Nuclear facilities causing a meltdown and leakage of radiation into the surrounding area. |
| Reiwa 2019 – |
| Emperor Akihito abdicates on May 1, 2019 to his son Naruhito. The name Reiwa comes from an anthology of poetry call the Man’yōshū. The Japanese Foreign Ministry provided the English translation as “beautiful harmony”. |
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