1.The Rise of the Fujiwara Family and Prince Nagaya Incident(藤原氏の台頭と長屋王の変)
At the beginning of the 8th century, the power of the royal family and the leading aristocrats in the capital was relatively balanced, but eventually the influence of the powerful old families such as the Ōtomo(大伴) and Saeki(佐伯) family declined, and the Fujiwara family made its way onto the political stage. Fujiwara no Fuhito(藤原不比等) played an important role in establishing the Ritsuryō system, and he established close ties with the royal family by marrying his daughter Miyako(宮子) to Emperor Monmu(文武天皇), and then by marrying his son’s daughter, Kōmyōshi（光明子） to the crown prince (later Emperor Shōmu(聖武天皇)).
After Fuhito’s death, a member of the royal family, Prince Nagaya(長屋王) took control of the government as Minister of the Right(右大臣), but Fuhito’s four sons (Muchimaro(武智麻呂), Fusasaki(房前), Umakai(宇合), and Maro(麻呂), the so-called Four Fujiwara Sons(藤原四兄弟)) accused Prince Nagaya of treason and forced him to commit suicide (Prince Nagaya Incident of 729), and succeeded in making Kōmyōshi the empress.
2.The spread of smallpox and the decline of the Fujiwara family(天然痘の流行と藤原氏の衰退)
Four Fujiwara Sons subsequently took control of the government, but in 737, all four of them died of smallpox(天然痘) one after another, and the power of the Fujiwara family temporarily weakened. As a result, Tachibana no Moroe(橘諸兄) led the Grand Council of State(太政官), and he stabilized the government by appointing Kibi no Makibi(吉備真備), who had studied in Tang China, and the priest Genbō(玄昉).
Fujiwara no Hirotsugu(藤原広嗣), a relative of Four Fujiwara Sons who was dissatisfied with this situation, led a rebellion in Kyūshū in 740 to remove Kibi no Makibi and Genbō, but it ended in failure (Fujiwara Hirotsugu Rebellion(藤原広嗣の乱)).
3. Emperor Shomu and the concept of Chingo Kokka(聖武天皇と鎮護国家の思想)
Amidst this political instability, the spread of disease, and continuing social unrest such as famine, Emperor Shōmu strengthened the concept of Chingo Kokka(鎮護国家), which sought to stabilize the nation through the power of Buddhism.
In 741, Emperor Shōmu issued the Kokubunji Konryū no Mikotonori(Edict for Establishing Provincial Temples 国分寺建立の詔) to build Kokubunji(provincial temples 国分寺) and Kokubunniji(provincial nunneries 国分尼寺) temples throughout the country, and Todaiji(東大寺) in Nara was designated as the central temple.
In 743, Emperor Shōmu issued the Daibutsu Zōryū no Mikotonori(Edict for Building a Great Statue of the Buddha 大仏造立の詔) at Shigaraki Palace(紫香楽宮) and construction of the Rushanabutsu (the Great Statue of the Buddha of Todaiji 盧舎那仏) began. The construction of the Great Statue of the Buddha was carried out with the cooperation of Gyōki(行基) and many other believers, but as the capital was moved several times, when the capital was moved back to Heijōkyō in 745, the construction of the Great Statue of the Buddha was also moved to Nara.
In 752, during the reign of Empress Kōken(孝謙天皇), the Great Buddha of Todaiji was consecrated, and this series of projects came to symbolize the promotion of Buddhism on a national scale.
However, these large-scale projects ultimately exhausted the people and placed a heavy burden on the finances and lives of the people.
4.The Rise of Fujiwara no Nakamaro and the Importance of Dōkyō(藤原仲麻呂の台頭と道鏡の重用)
The Fujiwara family regained its political influence during this period. Fujiwara no Nakamaro(藤原仲麻呂) (Emi no Oshikatsu(恵美押勝)), the grandson of Fujiwara no Fuhito(藤原不比等), strengthened national governance through the enforcement of the Yōrō Ritsuryō in 757, and consolidated his power base while cooperating with Empress Kōken.
However, against the tyranny of Nakamaro, Tachibana no Naramaro(橘奈良麻呂), the son of Tachibana no Moroe, rebelled and plotted to remove Nakamaro (Tachibana no Naramaro Incident(橘奈良麻呂の変)). This plot failed and Naramaro’s power was destroyed.
When Empress Kōken abdicated and became Retired Empress Kōken(孝謙上皇) a conflict arose between her and Nakamaro. Retired Empress Kōken placed importance on the monk Dōkyō(道教), and this led to a deepening of the conflict between Nakamaro and the newly enthroned Emperor Junnin(淳仁天皇). In 764, Nakamaro attempted to resolve the conflict by force, but this failed (the Emi no Oshikatsu Rebellion), and he was killed, while Emperor Junin was exiled to Awaji Island.
Retired Empress Kōken was enthroned again as Emperor Shōtoku(称徳天皇), and appointed Dōkyō as Dajōdaijin Zenji(supreme minister and mediation master 太政大臣禅師), and then as Hō-ō(dharma king 法王), and developed a political system centered on Buddhism.
However, in 769, when Dōkyō showed signs of using the oracle of Usa Shrine(宇佐神宮) to aim for the imperial throne, his plan was stopped by the opposition of Wake no Kiyomaro(和気清麻呂) and others.
After the death of Empress Shōtoku, Dōkyō was demoted, and Emperor Kōnin(光仁天皇), a member of the Tenji Emperor(天智天皇) lineage, ascended the throne, bringing an end to the imperial lineage of the Emperor Temmu(天武天皇).
5.Change in Land Policy and Formation of the Shōen(土地政策の転換と荘園制の形成)
During this period, the Ritsuryō system also underwent a major change in land policy.
In 723, the Sanze Isshin Law(三世一身法) was enacted, which allowed private ownership of land with newly developed irrigation facilities for up to three generations, but as this had limited effect, in 743 the Konden Einen Shizai Law(墾田永年私財法) was enacted. This law allowed the permanent private ownership of cultivated land, and as a result temples, nobles and local warlords mobilized farmers to carry out large-scale cultivation, and the amount of privately owned land increased rapidly. These private lands were called “early Shōen（初期荘園）” and laid the foundations for the Shōen system(荘園制) that was to come.
On the other hand, the burden on the farmers became heavier, and there was an increase in the number of people who left the land registered in their family registers and became vagrants, and in the number of people who abandoned tax payments and fled. Some of these farmers came under the control of local warlords and temples and were used as labor.
6. The accession of Emperor Kōnin and the reconstruction of the Ritsuryō state(光仁天皇の即位と律令国家の再建)
After the death of Emperor Shōtoku, Emperor Kōnin ascended the throne and sought to rebuild the Ritsuryō political system, and efforts were made to rebuild the national governance system, which was in decline. The chaos of this period, while showing the limitations of the Ritsuryō state, also became an opportunity to create elements that would have an impact on later generations, such as the development of the manor system and the rise of Buddhism.