Heian-kyō

Timeline

1. 794Inside the Rashōmon gate of Heian-kyō · Kinki regionEmperor Kanmu moved the capital here from Nagaoka-kyō, planning the north-south Suzaku Avenue on Tang Chang'an's ward system with four wards each in the left and right capitals and the palace in the north, laying the foundation for a thousand years of Japanese capitals.
2. 801–900Imperial palace and aristocratic residential districts of Heian-kyō · Kinki regionIn the 9th century Heian-kyō was the hub of court governance; emperors such as Saga and Junna promoted codification of laws and Chinese-style poetry; the Fujiwara clan's power rose, estates expanded, and kana script and court aesthetics matured here as the city evolved from a political center into an aristocratic cultural metropolis.
3. 823–894Temple belt around Heian-kyō · Kinki regionKūkai founded Mount Kōya in 816 and Saichō founded Enryaku-ji in 788; by the 9th century a network of Esoteric and Tendai temples formed around Heian-kyō's outskirts; the cessation of embassies to Tang in 894 marked a shift in foreign relations, and the capital's religion and culture became more indigenous.