Japanese Ritsuryō State System

Timeline

1. 701Fujiwara-kyō · KinkiEmperor Monmu promulgated the Taihō Ritsuryō, integrating ritsu, ryō, shiki, and kyaku, establishing the framework of eight ministries and two offices at the center, the province–county–village administrative hierarchy, and household and land management, marking the basic formation of Japan's ritsuryō state system.
2. 718Heijō-kyō · NaraThe Yōrō Ritsuryō partially revised the Taihō Ritsuryō and was used for a long time; ritsuryō provisions and shiki codes were further perfected, and the ritsuryō system became the formal legal basis of state governance in the Nara period.
3. 710–780Japanese archipelago · JapanSystems such as provincial governors taking office, census registers, and household registers compiled every six years were implemented nationwide; the handen allotment system distributed kubunden fields, combined with the collection of zu, yong, and diao taxes, forming the fiscal and military foundation of the ritsuryō state.
4. c. 780–800Japanese archipelago · JapanLand annexation, reclamation, and the trend toward manorization intensified; the handen allotment system became difficult to maintain, and although ritsuryō provisions remained, actual operation weakened, and the state system began to transition toward the regency politics and manor system of the Heian period.