History

Nara is located in the north of Nara Basin where the fledging Japanese state was born in prehistoric times. The city was built through heavy Baekje and Chinese influence. In Nara and South Korea, it is widely accepted that most of the city's notable monuments (the Great Buddha, Horyuji, etc) were built by Baekje architects and some believe that the city's name itself comes from the Baekje word for "nation" (narat or nara), which has endured to modern times to become the Korean word "nara". Others believe that it is derived from Nadaraka, lit. flat place.

Nara became the capital of Japan from AD 710 to 784. The royal court of Empress Genmei constructed a new capital modelled after the capital of TangChina, Chang'an, in AD 710. High civilization of the Middle Kingdom was introduced into Nara during the eighth century, following the fall of Baekje and the arrival of a massive influx of Korean people. Buddhism flourished under royal patronage. Even after the capital moved to Kyoto in 784, Buddhist temples remained powerful and enjoyed religious fame. Nara had been a Buddhist town for a long time.

In the modern age, Nara developed as a local center of commerce and government, for the prefectural government was seated here. The city was officially incorporated on February 1, 1898.