#471 'Asuka-Fujiwara Palace Sites' Named a World Heritage Site! - Tracing the Birth of the Japanese State Through 19 Archaeological Sites -
On July 26, 2026, it was decided that the 'Asuka-Fujiwara Palace Sites' in Nara Prefecture would be inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Nara Prefecture already has the 'Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area' and 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara,' but now a new World Heritage site will be added.
When hearing 'World Heritage,' some people might think of a single structure, such as the 'Atomic Bomb Dome' or 'Itsukushima Shrine'.
However, what became a World Heritage site this time is not a single building.
19 component siteshave been registered as a single World Heritage site.
Why did so many archaeological sites become one World Heritage site?
The reason is that these 19 component sites are precious heritage that allows us to trace the process of the establishment of a centralized state in Japan continuously within a single region.
The theme of this World Heritage site is 'Until the Birth of the Japanese State'.
The 19 component sites registered this time are broadly divided into three groups.
Palace and Government Office Sites (Politics)
Buddhist Temple Sites (Religion)
Kofun Burial Mounds (Royal Authority and Mortuary Systems)
In other words,
politics, religion, and culture
are essential elements of a state, and this is a World Heritage site where you can see how they developed as a single story.
Also, this World Heritage site is not located only in Asuka Village.
The component sites are scattered across multiple municipalities such as Asuka Village, Kashihara City, and Sakurai City, and a characteristic feature is that it is not a 'single building' but the 'entire region where the ancient state was formed' that has been evaluated.
1. Palace and Government Office Sites - The formation of the political center
The first group consists of the sites of palaces and government offices that served as the center of politics.
What has been registered is
Asuka Palace Site
Asuka-kyo Site Garden Pond
Asuka Mizuochi Site
Sakafuneishi Site
Fujiwara Palace Site
are the five sites.
The Asuka Palace was used as the center of politics while being rebuilt many times by successive emperors.
What we can understand from this is that the Japanese political system itself was being gradually organized.
And what can be called the culmination of this is the Fujiwara Palace.
The Fujiwara-kyo capital, centered on the Fujiwara Palace, was the first full-scale planned capital in Japan.
A grid-pattern urban plan modeled after Chang'an, the capital of Tang Dynasty China, was adopted, and this was inherited by the subsequent Heijo-kyo and Heian-kyo capitals.
From politics centered on the mansions of powerful clans to a capital organized by the state.
This change was a major step in Japan's growth into a centralized state.
(2) Buddhist Temple Sites - Buddhism Becomes a Pillar of the State
The second category is Buddhist temple sites.
The sites registered are:
Asuka-dera Temple Site
Tachibana-dera Temple Site
Yamada-dera Temple Site
Kawahara-dera Temple Site
Hinokuma-dera Temple Site
Daikandai-ji Temple Site
Motoyakushi-ji Temple Site
are the 7 sites.
The most famous is likely Asuka-dera Temple.
Asuka-dera Temple is considered to be Japan's oldest full-scale Buddhist temple, established by Soga no Umako.
Initially, Buddhism was a new religion introduced from the continent.
However, it gradually transformed into an entity that supported the state.
The symbol of this is Daikandai-ji Temple.
It was a grand temple established by the state, demonstrating that Buddhism was deeply intertwined with politics.
Also, the Motoyakushi-ji Temple site is the original location of Yakushi-ji Temple, which was later moved to Heijo-kyo.
Looking at the layout of the temples, one can see how Buddhism developed alongside the formation of the Japanese state.
3. Kofun (Tumuli) - The Emperor's Tombs Also Changed
The third is kofun.
The ones registered are:
Ishibutai Kofun
Ayameike Kofun
Kengoshizuka Kofun
Tenmu and Jito Imperial Mausoleum Kofun
Nakaoyama Kofun
Kitora Tumulus
Takamatsuzuka Tumulus
are the 7 items.
First, the most famous one is the Ishibutai Tumulus.
Its massive stone chamber still remains today, and it is believed to be the tomb of Soga no Umako.
This is a representative example that inherits the traditional burial system from the Kofun period.
However, as time progressed, significant changes also appeared in tombs.
In the Ken-goshi-zuka Tumulus and the tomb of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito, a new form called the octagonal tumulus appeared.
Furthermore, beautiful murals are painted in the Kitora and Takamatsuzuka tumuli.
The 'Asuka Beauties' of the Takamatsuzuka Tumulus and the Four Deities and astronomical charts of the Kitora Tumulus are often featured in history textbooks.
Tumuli are not just tombs; they are also important materials that convey changes in royal authority and the development of culture.
Why did it become a World Heritage site?
The 19 component assets registered this time each have historical value on their own.
However, what was truly valued was
the ability to see the process of the establishment of a centralized state in Japan continuously in one region through palaces, temples, and tumuli
.
Palaces were developed,
Buddhist temples were built,
and the shape of the Emperor's tomb also changed.
By tracing these, we can see the history of development from a society centered on powerful clans to a ritsuryo state.
It is not just the individual archaeological sites that have become a World Heritage site.
The entire story of the birth of the Japanese state has been recognized as having globally significant value.
Conclusion
When hearing that the 'Asuka-Fujiwara Palace Sites' have been registered as a World Heritage site, some people might think, 'I wonder if a new temple has become a World Heritage site.'
However, in reality, it is a World Heritage site where 19 component assets come together to convey the process of how the Japanese state was formed.
When people think of Nara, many likely think of Todai-ji or Horyu-ji temples.
However, before those, there was the Asuka-Fujiwara period.
There, history remains of the first full-scale capital built in Japan, the incorporation of Buddhism into the state, and the shaping of a centralized state.
With this World Heritage registration as an opportunity, if you try walking through Nara with the perspective of visiting 'the stage where the Japanese state was born' rather than just 'looking at a single temple,' you might see a different kind of historical interest than before.
[Table of Contents]
[Reference]