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Emperor Kanmu

Type Figure Region Japan Time 737–806 Also known as Emperor Yamato

Emperor Kanmu (737–806) was the 50th emperor of Japan, reigning c. 781–806; he completed the move to Heian-kyō (794), founding the political center o…

Timeline

  1. 737–781Heijō-kyō · NaraSon of Emperor Kōnin, originally named Yamabito. Amid court power struggles around the accessions of Kōnin and Kanmu, he gradually secured his position as heir, acceding in 781 and beginning to restore imperial authority weakened by Fujiwara infighting and the growing power of temples.
  2. 784–794Heian-kyō · KyotoFirst relocated to Nagaoka-kyō, then in 794 established the capital at Heian-kyō, building the palace and wards on a Chang'an-style grid. The move aimed to escape the political constraints of Nara's powerful temples and to rebuild a ritsuryō state centered on the emperor.
  3. 781–806Heian-kyō · KyotoImplemented revisions to the handen land-allocation system and local administrative reforms, and repeatedly dispatched grand generals to campaign against the Emishi of the northeast. His reign also supported monks such as Saichō in studying abroad, providing court endorsement for Heian Buddhism, until his death in 806.

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