The Japanese Imperial Institution in the Eighth Century

The Japanese Imperial Institution in the Eighth Century describes the functioning of Japan’s bureaucratic state in the Nara period. Based on a study of Shoku Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, Continued) it documents how imperial power actually functioned: the administration of law and rank, taxation and relief, court ritual, deities and political theology, diplomacy with Tang China, Silla, and Balhae, and campaigns on Japan’s internal frontiers. Its seemingly austere lists of edicts, appointments to office, awards of rank, and memorials preserve unparalleled evidence for governance, ideology, and daily political life in early Japan. A lengthy introduction provides an overview of the century. This is followed by chapters on each of the sovereigns, from Monmu to Kanmu.