Heijō-kyō

Heijō Palace (平城宮, Heijō-kyū) was the imperial residence in the Japanese capital city Heijō-kyō (today's Nara), during most of the Nara period. The palace, which served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre of for most of the Nara period from 710 to 794 AD, was located at the north-central location of the city in accordance with the Chinese models used for the design of the capital. The palace consisted of a daidairi (大内裏, also pronounced taidairi), a large rectangular walled enclosure which contained several ceremonial and administrative buildings including the government ministries. Inside this enclosure was the separately walled residential compound of the emperor or the Inner Palace. In addition to the emperor's living quarters the Inner Palace contained the residences of the imperial consorts as well as certain official and ceremonial buildings more closely linked to the person of the emperor. The original role of the palace was to manifest the centralised government model adopted by Japan from China in the 7th century—the Daijō-kan and its subsidiary Eight Ministries. The palace was designed to provide an appropriate setting for the emperor's residence, the conduct of state affairs, and associated ceremonial functions. After the capital was moved to Heian, the palace structures were either moved there or suffered several fires and other disasters and disappeared. The site was converted to agricultural use and almost no trace of it remained, however the location was still known. Excavations started in the 1970s and large-scale reconstruction based on contemporary literary sources and excavations starting in the 2000s. The excavated remains of the palace and the surrounding area were established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 along with a number of other buildings in the area such as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara."

The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (奈良文化財研究所, Nara Bunkazai Kenkyū-jo), also known by its former name, the Nara Research Institute for Cultural Properties, is one of two research institutes that comprise the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, an independent administrative institution created in 2001. Established in April 1952 as part of the National Commission for Protection of Cultural Properties,A the institute is located in the city of Nara, in Nara Prefecture, Japan, with branches elsewhere in Nara Prefecture. The institute is divided into departments for the excavation and restoration of the Asuka Palace, the Fujiwara Palace, and the Heijō Palace, historical remains, gardens, and other archaeological sites, and for the study of documents from Japan's early history. The Asuka Historical Museum is also managed by the institute.

The Siege of Nara (南都焼討, Nantō Yakiuchi) alternatively known as the Nanto Arson Campaign in Japan is an event which took place on January 15th 1181 (December 28th 1180 in the Jishō calendar), following Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa's defeat and subsequent death to the Taira clan, after which the Taira forces burnt down the Miidera temple (which had sheltered the anti-Taira forces), before moving on to Nara, where they "set fire to the monastic complexes of Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji."

Hokke-ji (法華寺, Hokke-ji) is a Buddhist temple located in the Hokkeji neighborhood of the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Kōmyō (光明宗) sect after the temple's founder, Empress Kōmyō. The honzon of the temple is a statue of Jūichimen Kannon (Avalokiteśvara), which is a designated National Treasure.

Saki Hyōtanyama Kofun (佐紀瓢箪山古墳) is a burial mound, located in the Sakiemondo-chō neighborhood of the city of Nara in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1971. It is often referred to as the Hyōtanyama Kofun (瓢箪山古墳), although there are many kofun with the same name throughout Japan.

The Kyūseki Teien, also known as the Heijō-kyō Sakyo Sanjo Nibo Palace Garden (平城京左京三条二坊宮跡庭園, Heijō-kyō Sakyo Sanjo Nibo Miya Atoteien) is a Japanese garden dating to the Nara period, located in Nara, Nara, western Japan. The garden and pavilions date to the same period of the Heijō Palace. The remains were excavated in the 1970s and restored.

On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Abe was delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate when he was fatally shot by 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami with an improvised firearm. Abe was transported by a medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, where he was pronounced dead.Leaders from many nations expressed shock and dismay at Abe's assassination, which was the first of a former Japanese prime minister since Saitō Makoto and Takahashi Korekiyo during the 26 February incident in 1936. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida decided to hold a state funeral for Abe on 27 September.Yamagami was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder, which was upgraded to murder after Abe's death was confirmed. Yamagami told investigators that he had shot Abe in relation to a grudge he held against the Unification Church (UC), a new religious movement to which Abe and his family had political ties, over his mother's bankruptcy in 2002.The assassination brought scrutiny from Japanese society and media against the UC's alleged practice of pressuring believers into making exorbitant donations. Japanese dignitaries and legislators were forced to disclose their relationship with the UC, and Kishida was forced to reshuffle his cabinet amid plummeting public approval. On 31 August the LDP announced that it would no longer have any relationship with the UC and its associated organisations, and would expel members who did not break ties with the group. On 10 December, the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors passed two bills to restrict the activities of religious organisations such as the UC and provide relief to victims.

Shiozuka Kofun (塩塚古墳) is a burial mound, located on the border of the Utahime-chō and Saki-chō neighborhoods of the city of Nara in the Kansai region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1975.

Nara (奈良市, Nara-shi, [naꜜɾa] ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 784 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Nagaoka-kyō, except for the years 740 to 745, when the capital was placed in Kuni-kyō, Naniwa-kyō and Shigaraki Palace. Nara is home to eight major historic temples, shrines, and heritage sites, specifically Tōdai-ji, Saidai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Shrine, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, and the Heijō Palace, together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest, collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Yamato-Saidaiji Station (大和西大寺駅, Yamato Saidaiji-eki) is a railway station owned by Kintetsu Railway and located in Saidaiji Kunimichō Itchōme, a suburb of the city of Nara in Japan. The station is also called Kintetsu Saidaiji Station (近鉄西大寺駅) or Saidaiji Station (西大寺駅).

Heijō Station (平城駅, Heijō-eki) is a railway station on Kintetsu Railway's Kyoto Line in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan.

Mount Miminashi (耳成山, Miminashi-yama) is a mountain located in the Nara Basin, in the city of Kashihara, in the central-western part Nara Prefecture, Japan. Together with Mount Unebi and Mount Amanokagu, it belongs to the so-called "Yamato Sanzan".