Yamato polity (Japan)

Timeline

1. c. 250–350Yamato · Nara PrefectureFrom the 3rd to 4th century CE, Kinai clans formed a loose royal authority through ritual and marriage alliances; the title 'Great King' appears in Chinese histories such as the Book of Song in their accounts of Wa, and the polity's influence expanded beyond the Kinki region.
2. c. 350–450Mozu Kofun Group, Sakai City · Osaka PrefectureFrom the 4th to 5th century CE the Yamato royal authority displayed its prestige by constructing large keyhole-shaped kofun; systems of clan submission and tribute gradually took shape, and envoys were exchanged with kingdoms on the Korean peninsula and China's Southern Dynasties.
3. c. 450–500Yamato · JapanIn the late 5th century CE, rulers such as King Bu of Wa received investiture from China's Southern Dynasties, further institutionalizing royal authority; ironware, writing, and Buddhist elements imported via the Korean peninsula created conditions for the centralizing reforms of the 6th-century Asuka period.