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Museums, art galleries, historical sites, temples and shrines in Japan usually offer explanatory information about the place, including the period or era in which it was established. But many a foreign visitor will be left nonplussed by Japan’s unique historical periodization. For example, who were the famous artists in Kyoto during the Muromachi period, when Leonardo da Vinci was producing masterpieces in Italy? And what was happening in Japan during the mid-Edo period, when the United States of America gained independence. To help the uninitiated, this section offers a brief introduction to Japan’s periods and eras.

In accordance with archaeological classifications, Japan’s primitive age is divided into four epochs: the Paleolithic era, the Jōmon period, the Yayoi period, and the Kofun period. These were followed by the Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama, and Edo periods. The Nara and Heian periods are named after the locations of contemporary capitals, with the Kamakura, Muromachi, Azuchi-Momoyama, and Edo periods named after the seats of the shogunal governments that ruled Japan (during these periods, the Emperor was based in Kyoto). From the Meiji era onwards, eras took their names from successive emperors, with this system continuing through the Taishō, Shōwa and Heisei eras down to the present-day Reiwa era. The Japanese archipelago stretches over a vast distance from north to south, with each region having its own distinct characteristics, so the issue of era classifications is still a hot topic of debate among historians. While the periods and eras listed here don’t cover every permutation, hopefully they can serve as a broad guide to understanding Japan’s history.

Japanese Historical Periodization

Characteristic features of each period and era