The Founding of Japan ~ The women who made Asuka thrive ~ 日本国創成のとき―飛鳥を翔（かけ）た女性たち―　ストーリー動画

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Japan was first developed into a cohesive nation state during the Asuka Era (538-710). Women played a central role in this era, most notably, Empress Suiko, the nation’s first reigning empress. She formally recognized the official status of Buddhism in Japan and sought to integrate this new faith harmoniously with the indigenous Shinto religion. She developed trade with East Asia, and opened up international relations and cultural exchange for Japan with the continent. Suiko’s determination to build a new nation was inherited by the next empress, Kogyoku (who later took the name Empress Saimei). The aspirations of these remarkable women were then fully realized by Empress Jito, who succeeded her husband, Emperor Tenmu. Jito, carrying on her late husband’s work, completed the Fujiwara Palace and helped enact the Taiho Code, which restructured the government and effectively gave birth to the Japanese nation. In all, half of the rulers in the Asuka Era were women. Women also made their mark in religion and literature. Japan’s first Buddhist was a woman named Zenshinni who became a nun at the age of 11. Furthermore, the eighth-century Manyoshu imperial poetry collection contains many poems by women, including Empress Jito and Princess Nukata. The Japanese state largely owes its existence to the efforts and energy of the leading women of the Asuka Era. Asuka Kawakamini Imasu Usutaki Himenomikoto Shrine This sacred location, which stands on the banks of the Asuka River, has the longest shrine name in Japan. The shrine is a Shinto place of worship that predates the arrival of Buddhism in the country. It has no honden (main sanctuary) since Mt. Minamibuchi – visible behind the haiden (worship hall) – is the main focus of worship. Entry to the shrine precinct is via 200 steps up a stone stairway. The rain ritual performed by Empress Kogyoku/Saimei was transformed here into a farming dance called namode odori. This dance has been recreated from drawings on wooden votive tablets at the shrine and from the memories of town elders. The narrative and distinctive musical accompaniment tell how the gods rewarded a prayer for rain with a downpour, inspiring an ecstatic dance of gratitude. Tomb of Princess Kibitsuhime Okimi Princess Kibihime Okimi was the grandchild of Emperor Kinmei (509-571), the mother of Empress Kogyoku and grandmother of Emperors Tenji and Tenmu. While the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki maintains that she was buried in a place called Mayumigaoka, the Engishiki, a tenth-century book of laws and customs, places her in a grave within the Mausoleum of Emperor Kinmei. It is believed that this is the present location of her remains. Among the many stone structures in Asuka are the unusually shaped “monkey stones” inside Princess Kibitsuhime’s tomb. Two stones each are placed at right and left within a stone enclosure. They were excavated from nearby rice paddies, but their purpose is unknown. Asukadera Temple Asukadera Temple is said to have been the first full-scale temple to be erected in Japan. It was initially constructed in 596 by the powerful Soga no Umako, who was an early supporter of Buddhism when it first came to Japan. The temple houses the country’s oldest surviving Buddhist statue. Asukadera has burned down twice in its history, and the current hondo (main hall) dates from 1826. The temple today is modest, but the complex at one time is said to have had a magnificent hall at its center, surrounded by three kondo (lesser sanctuaries). The Asuka Great Buddha, completed in 609, was heavily damaged by fire. It was later repaired, but some parts of the original, including the face and fingers, have survived. The original sculpture was covered in gold, although this gilding has peeled off over the years. The statue of Buddha nevertheless continues to watch over Asukadera as it has for well over a millennium. Mebuchi Waterfall Mebuchi (“female abyss”) Waterfall in the headwaters of the Asuka River is five to six meters high and six meters deep. It is said to be the home of a female dragon god from Ryugu, the mythical palace of the dragon king. Some 1.5 kilometers upstream is the nine-meter-high Obuchi (“male abyss”) Waterfall, which is believed to be the residence of a male dragon god. In ancient days, rain dances would be performed at both Mebuchi and Obuchi in times of drought. The Nihon Shoki recalls that when Empress Kogyoku prayed for rain at Mebuchi, the region was rewarded with a heavy rainfall. Visitors may perhaps feel a mysterious power emanating from the emerald green glow of the deep waterfall basin. Takamatsuzuka Tomb & Takamatsuzuka Mural Hall The stone chamber of the imposing Takamatsuzuka Tomb was built between the late 7th and early 8th centuries. The walls have paintings of the four guardian deities of the cardinal directions: Blue Dragon (east), White Tiger (west), Red Phoenix (south), and Black Tortoise (north). The ceiling depicts 28 constellations in gold leaf and vermillion lines. Sixteen people are depicted on the walls, divided into two groups each of four males and four females. The most famous of these is the colorful mural of women on the west wall known as the Asuka Beauties. The actual paintings are closed to the public, but detailed reproductions can be seen in the adjacent Takamatsuzuka Mural Hall.