Timeline of Japanese history

This is a timeline of Japanese history, comprising important legal, territorial and cultural changes and political events in Japan and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Japan. See also the list of Emperors of Japan and Prime Ministers of Japan and the list of years in Japan.

7th century BC

Year	Date	Event
660		The legendary Emperor Jimmu ascends to the throne, marking the end of the Age of the Gods and start of traditional Japanese history.

4th century BC

Year	Date	Event
300		Yayoi period start marked by extensive rice cultivation at paddy fields

1st century

Year	Date	Event
57		The King of Na gold seal is issued by Emperor Guangwu of Han to the coalition of Japanese states in northern Kyushu led by Nakoku state.

2nd century

Year	Date	Event
180		The Civil war of Wa ends, bringing shaman queen Himiko to power in Yamatai state somewhere in western Japan.

3rd century

Year	Date	Event
201		The Nagata Shrine, Hirota Shrine and Ikuta Shrine, the oldest surviving Shinto shrines in Japan, are founded by legendary Empress Jingū.
238		First embassy of Himiko to Cao Wei
248		Himiko dies and is succeeded by 13 y.o. Queen Iyo after a brief civil war. Some rebels, preferring a male successor, fled Yamatai and founded the Miwa court in Nara.
250		The Kofun period and Yamato period starts. Traditional date to mark the founding of Yamato entity in Nara associated with the Sujin line of kings.
266		Iyo embassy to Emperor Wu of Jin
283		The Hata clan led by Yuzuki no Kimi settles in Japan, introducing sericulture (silk farming).

4th century

Year	Date	Event
346		Makimuku site abandoned, possibly due to invaders including Baekje and Gaya confederacy men, indicating large changes of Miwa court
350		Unification of Yamato Province, possibly when under the foreign rule of Baekje and/or Gaya confederacy derived king
362		King Chūai of Miwa court replaced by king Ōjin of Kawachi court (Saki Court), marking expansion of Yamato Province to entire Kinai

5th century

Very little is known about the 5th century in Japan. The period was definitely marked by volatile inter-state warfare, complex alliances, submissions and betrayals. Some of the more constant Yamato polity partners were Baekje and Gaya confederacy, while enemies included Goguryeo, Silla and various Chinese groups. All of the records of the era either did not survive or are contentious.

Year	Date	Event
404		Goguryeo–Wa conflicts between Wa, Baekje, and Gaya against Goguryeo and Silla
413		King of Wa sends 1st recorded tribute to the Jin.
430		Yamato polity become a regional power after subjugating several states in West Japan. Details are subject to Mimana controversy.
461		Chronology of the Japanese historical records become consistent. All dates before this entry are reconstructed with foreign or archaeological data.
461		Baekje sends an embassy to Japan, as confirmed by both Japanese and Korean records.

6th century

Year	Date	Event
507		Kawachi court is succeeded by King Ohoto of Koshi (Keitai line of kings) in Asuka court.
527		With the suppression of the Iwai Rebellion, the Yamato polity is firmly entrenched in Tsukushi Province, Kyushu.
538		Introduction of Buddhism in Japan by Seong of Baekje.
538		The Asuka period starts, capital transferred to Asuka. Yamato polity achieve de facto political dominance with full conquest of Shikoku and Kyushu islands.
562		The last states of Gaya confederacy are destroyed, marking extinction of Japonic languages outside Japan.
587		The religious war (Soga–Mononobe conflict) ends with the victory of the pro-Buddhist Soga clan.
593		The Soga clan takes control of Japan with the installation of Empress Suiko on the throne.

7th century

Year	Date	Event
603		Introduction of the Twelve Level Cap and Rank System in Japan
607		The first embassy under the command of Ono no Imoko is sent to Sui China.
630		The first of Japanese missions to Tang China
645		The Asuka period ends with the power of the Soga clan broken in the Isshi Incident and Nakatomi clan becoming the dominant power.
646	22 January	The Hakuhō period starts with the Taika Reform.
660		Japanese, under command of Abe no Hirafu, massacre the Mishihase people in Hokkaido. The Japanese do not return to Hokkaido until over 700 years later.
663		The Japanese navy is decisively defeated in the Battle of Baekgang, marking the withdrawal of Japan from Korean politics.
665		First coastal defences of Kyushu were built at what is now the Ōnojō Castle Ruins.
668		The Ōmi Code was adopted starting the Ritsuryō law system.
672		Succession conflict results in the Jinshin War.
673		With the reign of Emperor Tenmu, Japan becomes an empire.
684		Hakuhō earthquake, severe tsunami and subsidence at Tosa Province
694		Transfer of capital to Fujiwara-kyō

8th century

Year	Date	Event
701		The Taihō Code legal system is accepted.
709		The Fort Ideha is established near modern Akita marking the start of submission of the Emishi people in the Tōhoku region to Japanese.
710		The Nara period starts after Empress Genmei moved the capital to Heijō-kyō.
712		The Kojiki is completed.
713		The provinces are ordered to compile cultural and geographical records, known as fudoki.
718		Fujiwara no Fuhito compiles the Yōrō Code (the update of Taihō Code) which is accepted in 757.
720		The Nihon Shoki (1st volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) is completed.
721		The Hayato rebellion ends after a year and half of fighting, marking the complete subjugation of Southern Kyushu.
724		Emperor Shōmu was enthroned. Also, the site of the Taga Castle, near to modern Sendai, is founded.
731	April	A fleet of 300 Japanese vessels is defeated on the east coast on Silla^[1]
735		Genbō and Kibi no Makibi returned from China.
735		A serious smallpox epidemic spread from Kyushu, resulting in a third of the population perishing, 10 years of social instability and 4 transfers of the capital through Kuni-kyō, Shigaraki Palace and Naniwa-kyō before returning to Heijō-kyō in 745.
740		The Fujiwara no Hirotsugu Rebellion erupts on Kyushu.
741		Shōmu established the provincial temples.
743		The Ritsuryō law system incorporated the right of eternal land ownership.
751		The Kaifūsō poetry anthology was completed.
752		The Great Buddha of Nara at Tōdai-ji was completed with the assistance of Bodhisena from India.
754		Priest Ganjin arrived from China.
757		Fujiwara no Nakamaro defeated an attempt by Tachibana no Naramaro to seize power.
757		The Yōrō Code completes the evolution of Ritsuryō law system.
764		Fujiwara and Emperor Junnin launched a plot against the retired Empress Kōken and the monk Dōkyō (which failed)
773		The Thirty-Eight Years War for the subjugation of Tōhoku starts.
781		Emperor Kanmu was enthroned.
784		The capital moved to Nagaoka-kyō.
788		Saichō built Enryaku-ji.
794		The Heian period starts after Emperor Kammu moved the capital to Heian-kyō.
797		The Shoku Nihongi (2nd volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.

9th century

Year	Date	Event
802		After the defeat of Emishi Isawa confederation and execution of Aterui in the final stages of Thirty-Eight Years War, the Japanese controls the entire Honshu island
806		The Japanese kana scripts (invention popularly attributed to Kūkai) have evolved as distinct from Chinese characters.
810		The Kusuko Incident have propelled Emperor Saga to throne, resulting in 32-years long peaceful period.
815		Shinsen Shōjiroku, the first compilation of Japanese genealogical data, is complete.
829	23 January	Kūkai has established the first public school in Japan.
839		Last envoy to Tang China sent (some later embassies were cancelled)
840		Nihon Kōki (3rd volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
842		The Jōwa Incident mark the raising power of the Fujiwara clan.
858		The Fujiwara clan solidify their rule over Japan with the installation of Emperor Seiwa.
869		Shoku Nihon Kōki (4th volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
869	9 July	The devastating 869 Sanriku earthquake and tsunami happened off Tohoku coast.
878	March	The Akita Castle is overrun during Gangyou disturbance with the background of heavy drought and famine, resulting in growing independence of the Dewa Province
879		Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku (5th volume of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
894		Sugawara no Michizane advocates for stopping sending embassies to China.

10th century

Year	Date	Event
901		Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku (6th and last of historical chronicles Rikkokushi) was completed.
907		Severe epidemics and extreme weather including floods and drought, popularly attributed to persecution of Sugawara no Michizane
935		The Tosa Nikki, the oldest surviving Japanese diary, was written.
939		Tengyō no Ran – the failed rebellion of Taira no Masakado in Hitachi Province and Shimōsa Province, Fujiwara no Sumitomo in Iyo Province and San'yō region, plus opportunistic uprisings in Dewa Province – the first of many rebellions led by professional warriors (samurai), has led to the downfall of the Tachibana clan
949		The 56 warrior monks of Tōdai-ji stage the public protest, marking the formation of sōhei class and militarization of temples.
984		The Ishinpō, the oldest surviving Japanese medical manual, is compiled.

11th century

Year	Date	Event
1008		The Tale of Genji is written.
1019		Toi invasion to northern Kyushu
1028		Taira no Tadatsune starts a 3-years long war in now Chiba Prefecture before surrendering.
1051		The Former Nine Years War (Zenkunen War) against rebellious Abe clan in now Tohoku have started.
1068		The dominance of the Fujiwara clan ends with the ascension of Emperor Go-Sanjō to the throne.
1083		The fighting in Tohoku flares up again, resulting in the Gosannen War (Later Three-Year War).

12th century

Year	Date	Event
1156		The Hōgen Rebellion has marked the rise of the samurai class.
1159		The Heiji Rebellion has been defeated, and Taira clan under control of Taira no Kiyomori is dominating the government of Japan – the first example of samurai rule
1177		Shishigatani incident – an attempted rebellion against Taira clan rule.
1180		The Genpei War starts. As result, the Imperial capital is briefly moved to Fukuhara-kyō (modern Kobe).
1181		Severe drought and Yōwa famine
1185		The Kamakura period starts after the Genpei War ends with the defeat of the Taira clan, resulting in establishment of the Kamakura shogunate.
1189	15 June	The Battle of Koromo River have ended de facto independence of the Northern Fujiwara clan in Tōhoku. As result, first Japanese refugees have settled in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido.

13th century

Year	Date	Event
1221		Jōkyū War – an attempt of Imperial family to regain independence from the Kamakura shogunate
1230		Kanki famine
1232		The Goseibai Shikimoku code accepted and used until the Edo period, marking militarization of legal system
1274		1st Mongol invasion in Japan repulsed in the Battle of Bun'ei
1281		2nd Mongol invasion in Japan repulsed in the Battle of Kōan
1293	27 May	The deadly 1293 Kamakura earthquake, followed by government in-fighting, struck Japan.

14th century

Year	Date	Event
1331		Emperor Go-Daigo initiates the Genkō War.
1333	5 July	The short-lived Kenmu Restoration starts with the destruction of the Kamakura shogunate in the Siege of Kamakura (1333).
1334		Imperial court of Japan splits in two until 1392, resulting in the Nanboku-chō period.
1336		The Muromachi period starts with the establishment of the Ashikaga shogunate domination over the imperial Northern Court. The Daimyō system is established.
1348	4 February	The Southern Court loses the Battle of Shijōnawate.
1350		Kannō disturbance weakens the Ashikaga shogunate. Wokou pirates from Japan are becoming rampant in region.
1353		The Southern Court wins the Battle of Yawata, enabling the siege of Kyoto in 1354.
1368		De facto independence of the Kantō region
1370		De facto independence of Kyushu
1392		The Nanboku-chō period ends with subjugation of the Southern Court to the Northern Court.

15th century

Year	Date	Event
1419	19 June	Ōei Invasion to Wokou bases on Tsushima Island
1428		Cholera epidemic and extreme impoverishment in now Shiga Prefecture have resulted in Shocho uprising
1438		Flare-up of Eikyō disturbance in the Kantō region after 22 years of confrontation between local lords and shogunate
1443		The Treaty of Gyehae was signed, resulting in Wokou pirates becoming increasingly non-Japanese.
1454		The Kyōtoku Incident starts the 32 years of instability and bloodshed in the semi-independent Kantō region.
1457		Takeda Nobuhiro emerged victorious after repelling an Ainu assault on Kaminokuni, Hokkaido, marking the beginning of Japanese conquest of Hokkaido.
1457		Edo Castle, a nucleus of modern Tokyo, was built.
1459		Bad handling of the Kanshō famine in the aftermath of flood and plague in Kyoto has resulted in increasing divisions of society.
1467		The Ōnin War starts, marking the beginning of the Sengoku period – during which violence and power struggle has become the norm.
1477		Kyoto has been completely destroyed.
1488		The Kaga Rebellion overthrows samurai rule, establishing a theocratic state Kaga ikki in now Ishikawa Prefecture.
1498	20 September	1498 Nankai earthquake

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1523		Japanese in-fighting results in the Ningbo Incident, bringing a trade with China to halt and resulting in a new wave of Wokou piracy.
1540		Tenbun famine and plague
1543	25 August	First Europeans arrive to Japan, opening the Nanban trade period.
1560		Battle of Okehazama: Oda Nobunaga emerged victorious.
1570		Oda Nobunaga have started a 10-year long Ishiyama Hongan-ji War to suppress the warrior monks community and Kaga ikki state.
1573		The Japanese society began to stabilize, starting the Azuchi–Momoyama period under ruling of Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
1579		Azuchi religious debate have resulted in enforced religious tolerance.
1581		Oda Nobunaga forces wins the Tenshō Iga War.
1581		Himeji Castle, the largest in Japan, was built.
1582		Incident at Honnō-ji: Akechi Mitsuhide, an Oda general, betrayed Nobunaga at Honnō-ji and forced him to commit seppuku.
1585		Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Shikoku.
1587		Toyotomi Hideyoshi has launched the Kyūshū Campaign.
1590	4 August	Toyotomi Hideyoshi has prevailed over the Late Hōjō clan in the Siege of Odawara in the Kantō region, completing the re-unification of Japan.
1591	8 October	The Separation Edict and Population Census Edict froze the social structure of Japan.
1592	23 May	Toyotomi Hideyoshi, acting as kampaku (regent) in lieu of Oda Nobukatsu, invaded Korea.
1597	5 February	Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan were crucified in Nagasaki in the aftermath of the San Felipe incident.
1598	16 December	The Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) have ended with Japanese retreat after the Battle of Noryang.

17th century

Year	Date	Events
1600	21 October	The Battle of Sekigahara is won by forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
1603	24 March	The Edo period starts after Tokugawa Ieyasu received from Emperor Go-Yōzei the title of shōgun.
1605	3 February	1605 Nankai earthquake and tsunami
1605		Ieyasu abdicated from office in favor of his third son and heir, Tokugawa Hidetada.
1609	7 March	Invasion of Ryukyu
1610	3 January	Nossa Senhora da Graça incident
1611	2 December	1611 Sanriku earthquake and tsunami
1615	3 June	The Siege of Osaka is complete with the Battle of Tennōji: Tokugawa Ieyasu ended Toyotomi opposition.
1623		Hidetada resigned his office to his eldest son and heir, Tokugawa Iemitsu.
1635		The Sakoku Edict of 1635 was issued, barring Japanese from leaving Japan and barring Europeans from entering, on pain of death. It instituted strict penalties for the practice of Catholicism and severely restricted foreign trade.
1635		The policy of sankin-kōtai was established, which subjected the daimyōs to the will of the shōgun.
1637	17 December	Shimabara Rebellion: A rebellion began against the daimyō Matsukura Katsuie over his persecution of Christianity and onerous tax code.
1638	15 April	Shimabara Rebellion: The last of the rebels were defeated in their fortress at Shimabara.
1642		The Kan'ei Great Famine happens due combination of government over-spending, Rinderpest epizootic, volcanic eruptions and extreme weather.
1651	24 April	Iemitsu died, leaving his office to the ten-year-old Tokugawa Ietsuna.
1651		Keian Uprising: A coup d'état attempted by several rōnin and masterminded by Yui Shōsetsu and Marubashi Chūya failed.
1657	2 March	Great Fire of Meireki in Edo
1669		Shakushain's Revolt on Hokkaido
1680	4 June	Ietsuna died and was succeeded by his younger brother, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi.
1686		Jōkyō uprising

18th century

Year	Date	Event
1703	20 March	Chūshingura – Forty-seven ronin were ordered to commit seppuku by the shōgun.
1703	31 December	1703 Genroku earthquake and tsunami
1707	28 October	1707 Hōei earthquake and tsunami, followed by the Hōei eruption of Mount Fuji
1709	19 February	Tsunayoshi died. His nephew Tokugawa Ienobu succeeded him as shōgun.
1712		The Wakan Sansai Zue, the first Japanese encyclopaedia, was published.
1712	12 November	Ienobu died and was succeeded by his five-year-old son, Tokugawa Ietsugu, under the regency of the shōgun's adviser Arai Hakuseki.
1716	19 June	Ietsugu died. Tokugawa Yoshimune, a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became shōgun.
1716	July	The Kyōhō Reforms aimed for monetization of economy and broader import of European knowledge have started.
1720		The foreign books restrictions are reduced, starting a Rangaku practice.
1732		The Kyōhō famine happens due locust infestation in the Seto Inland Sea region.
1745		Yoshimune retired, leaving his public office to his eldest son Tokugawa Ieshige, although he maintained some influence in the affairs of state.
1754		1754 Horeki River Improvement Incident
1760		Ieshige retired, leaving his office to his eldest son Tokugawa Ieharu.
1771	24 April	1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami
1782		Great Tenmei famine
1789		Menashi-Kunashir Rebellion on Hokkaido
1790		Kansei Reforms, including Kansei Edict, tighten the isolation of Japan.
1792	21 May	1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami

19th century

Year	Date	Event
1806		Chwostoff raids on the Japanese-controlled Kuril islands
1807		Failed military expedition to Sakhalin
1811		The Golovnin Incident marks increasing contacts with the Russian Empire.
1825		Edict to Repel Foreign Vessels
1833		Tenpo famine
1837		Morrison incident
1842		Tenpō Reforms lifts the price controls and further reduce contacts with Europeans.
1848	1 July	The isolation policy of the Tokugawa shogunate has begun to crumble by the time of landing of Ranald MacDonald on Rishiri Island.
1853	14 July	Matthew C. Perry arrives off the coast of Japan in four ships. Perry orders harbor buildings to be shelled to force negotiations for a letter President Millard Fillmore sent to the ruler of Japan. This incident was coined as the "Arrival of the Black Ships" in Japanese history.
1854	February	Second Visit. Matthew C. Perry returns to Japan with eight Black Ships and finds that the shogunate had prepared a treaty accepting virtually all demands from President Millard Fillmore.
1854	March	Matthew C. Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa. Within five years, Japan signs similar treaties with other western countries, thus ending an isolation period of more than 200 years known as sakoku (鎖国), whereby the Dutch and Chinese ships had limited trade exclusivity.
1854	23 December	The Ansei great earthquakes series starts with the 1854 Tōkai earthquake and tsunami.
1855	7 February	The Treaty of Shimoda with the Russian Empire was signed.
1855	11 November	The Ansei great earthquakes series ends with the 1855 Edo earthquake followed by a devastating fire.
1858	26 August	The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce and other Ansei Treaties were signed, resulting in Ansei Purge.
1862	14 September	Namamugi Incident: Four British subjects were attacked by guards on the Tōkaidō for failing to pay proper respect to a daimyō. One, a merchant named Charles Lennox Richardson, was killed.
1863		Order to expel barbarians, Battle of Shimonoseki Straits, Bombardment of Kagoshima and other events
1868		Boshin War resulting in the Meiji Restoration and other events
1871		Abolition of the han system, being replaced by a system of prefectures
1873		Seikanron: The government debated and rejected the idea of the invasion of Korea.
1873		Land Tax Reform (Japan 1873)
1874		Saga Rebellion
1876		Akizuki Rebellion, Hagi Rebellion and Shinpūren Rebellion
1877		Satsuma Rebellion
1884		Chichibu incident – a peasants rebellion
1891	28 October	1891 Mino–Owari earthquake – strongest recorded inland earthquake of Japan
1894	1 August	The First Sino-Japanese War starts.
1895	17 April	The First Sino-Japanese War is won by Japanese, resulting in the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1895	29 May	Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)
1896	15 June	The 1896 Sanriku earthquake kills 22,066 men.

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1904	8 February	Russo-Japanese War: Japan launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Imperial Russian Navy at Port Arthur.
1905	5 September	Russo-Japanese War: The Treaty of Portsmouth was signed, ceding some Russian property and territory to Japan and ending the war. Pro-war activists have staged the Hibiya incendiary incident nevertheless.
1910	22 August	The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 completes the annexation of the Korean Empire.
1910	December	The Japanese Antarctic Expedition starts.
1914	31 October	The Siege of Tsingtao starts as part of World War I.
1919	1 March	March 1st Movement signal the start of the Korean independence movement.
1923	1 September	The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake kills 105,385 men.
1927		Shōwa financial crisis
1930	27 October	Wushe incident – a rebellion on Taiwan
1931	18 September	Japan invaded Manchuria in the aftermath of the Mukden Incident.
1932	1 March	Manchukuo, a puppet state of Japan, is established.
1937	7 July	The Second Sino-Japanese War starts.
1940	22 September	The Japanese invasion of French Indochina starts.
1941	13 April	The Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact was signed.
1941	7 December	Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Japan has declared war to the US, Dutch and British, marking the start of the Pacific War theatre of World War II.
1945	6 August	Atomic bombing of Hiroshima
1945	9 August	Atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Soviet invasion of Manchuria starts and continues on as the Kuril Islands dispute
1945	15 August	Surrender of Japan
1946	3 May	In the controversial International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the prosecution began of Japanese military leaders for war crimes.
1947	3 May	The Constitution of Japan goes into effect.
1956	12 December	Japan joins the United Nations.
1964	10 October	1964 Summer Olympics: Tokyo hosted the Olympics, marking the first time the Games were held in Asia.
1968		Japan surpassed West Germany to become the second largest economic power in the world.
1969	18 January	Student protests against the Vietnam War and American use of bases on Japanese soil culminated in a short-lived takeover of Tokyo University.
1970	11 February	The first successful launch of the Lambda 4S rocket places the Japanese Ohsumi satellite on orbit.
1971	24 November	The 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement is ratified in the aftermath of the Koza riot and other incidents.
1974		Prime Minister Eisaku Satō, the first Asian to do so, accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.
1989	29 December	The Tokyo Stock Market index, Nikkei 225, hits its peak at 38,957 before closing at 38,916 for the day.
1991		Lost Decade: The Japanese asset price bubble popped.
1995	17 January	Great Hanshin earthquake
1997	11 December	The Kyoto Protocol to regulate greenhouse gases emissions was adopted.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2011	11 March	2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, followed by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
2012	December	Abenomics policies are enacted to handle the consequences of the Lost Decade and the Japan demographic crisis.

References and notes

↑ Lee Injae、Owen Miller、Park Jinhoon、Yi Hyun-Hae, "Korean History in Maps", p. 696 (60)

External links

BBC News. "Japan Profile: Timeline".
"Japan". Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Timeline of Modern Japan (1868–1945)". About Japan: A Teacher’s Resource. New York: Japan Society.
"Japanese History: A Chronological Outline". Asia for Educators. USA: Columbia University.

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[1] Lee Injae、Owen Miller、Park Jinhoon、Yi Hyun-Hae, "Korean History in Maps", p. 696 (60)