ABSTRACT
SEVEN ERAS IN NARA.-The Emperor Mombu, who had completed the great reformation of the Taika by the Statute of Taiho, died in the 7th year of his reign at twenty-five years of age, and was succeeded by his mother, Princess Abe, who was named the Empress Gemmyo. After Gemmyo, the Empress Gensho, an elder sister of Mombu, inherited. Gensho was succeeded by the Emperor Shomu, who was followed by seven emperors, or empresses, all descendants of the Emperor Mombu, himself a descendant of the Emperor Tenchi, who might well be called the greatest, with the exception of the founder of the Empire. It was he who killed lruka Soga in 645 (1st year of Taika), and restored the privileges of the monarch, upsetting the despotism of the great families. He set up two emperors, Kotoku and Saimyo, under whom he served as Crown Prince for seventeen years, and then succeeded to the throne. During this period he dealt with many difficult situations, such as the great reformation of Taika, the expedition to Korea, etc., but he was actually on the throne only eleven years. Shortly after the demise of Tenchi, Temmu, his younger brother, raised an army and deposed his nephew, the Emperor Kobun, son of Tenchi, himself taking his place. This deplorable state of affairs was remedied after Temmu's demise. Jito, his consort, succeeded, but, as she had no son, the throne was transmitted to Mombu, a descendant of Tenchi, through whom the seven monarchs in Nara all traced their descent from the great Emperor. The eras of Mombu, Gemmyo, and Gensho were a transition period in our history from many standpoints. First, by the Statute of Taiho, land nationalization was established, as we have seen in the preceding chapter; second, the era system was adopted; third, in 708, the name Wado (Copper era) was reinsttaed as the name of the era because copper, presented by the province of Musashi, was coined; fourth, coining of silver was abandoned in 7 I I, and weavers were sent to various provinces to instruct the people in wearing brocades and figured cloth, and from the next year figured cloths were accepted as taxes from the twenty-one provinces; fifth, in the same year, Yasumaro Futo was ordered to compile Kojiki (Chronicle of the Ancient Period in Japan); sixth, in 713, all provinces were ordered to present Fudoki (description of the natural
features of the province); seventh, in 719 (Yoro 3rd year), both sexes were ordered to fold over their dress to the right; eighth, cordial relations were renewed with Korea; ninth, as the pass on the boundary between Owari and Mino was very steep, the mountain pass in Kiso was opened in order to facilitate the passage; tenth, in 698 Dr. Fumino-Emiki and seven others were ordered to islands such as Tane, Yaku, Ommi (now called Oshima), and Dokan (Dokara archipelago) off the coast of Kyushu, with troops, and the islands were made tributaries to Japan; lastly, in 735 (Tempyo 7th), Japanese letters were invented by Mabi Kibi.
