During the Reiki era, the Japanese government continued to strengthen the Ritsuryō system, a centralized system based on written laws, government offices, taxation, population records, and provincial administration. Heijō-kyō (modern Nara) remained the imperial capital and was becoming an important center of politics, religion, culture, and administration.
The period also saw the continued growth of Buddhism, the development of government institutions, and the influence of Tang China and the Korean Peninsula on Japanese politics and culture. Rather than being remembered for one major event, the Reiki Period is important because it represents a stage in Japan's gradual development into a more organized centralized state.
This article explores the Reiki Period in Japan, including its dates, Empress Genshō's rule, government, Ritsuryō administration, economy, agriculture, society, religion, cultural influences, major developments, and historical significance.
1. What Was the Reiki Period in Japan?
The Reiki Period (霊亀, Reiki) was a Japanese nengō, or imperial era name, that lasted from 715 to 717 CE.
A nengō was a name used by the Japanese court to identify a period of imperial rule. Japan's era-name system allowed the government to mark different stages of history through official era names.
The Reiki era came immediately after the Wadō Period (708–715) and was followed by the Yōrō Period (717–724).
The period took place during the early Nara period, when Japan was developing a stronger centralized government modeled partly on political and administrative systems from continental East Asia.
Key features of the Reiki Period included:
The accession and rule of Empress Genshō
Continued development of the Ritsuryō government
Expansion of central government administration
Management of population and provincial communities
Continued development of Heijō-kyō
Growth of Buddhism and Buddhist institutions
Continued influence from Tang China and the Korean Peninsula
Ongoing development of Japan's legal and administrative system
The Reiki Period was therefore a period of continuity and consolidation rather than a time of dramatic political revolution.
2. Reiki Period Dates
Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Japanese era name | Reiki (霊亀) |
English meaning | Often translated as "Auspicious Tortoise" |
Period | 715–717 CE |
Historical period | Early Nara period |
Previous era | Wadō (708–715) |
Next era | Yōrō (717–724) |
Ruling sovereign | Empress Genshō |
Capital | Heijō-kyō, modern Nara |
Duration | About two years |
Era years | Reiki 1–3 |
The Reiki era began in 715 CE and ended in 717 CE, when the court introduced the Yōrō era name.
Because Japanese era names do not always match calendar years exactly, historical documents may identify events by both the era year and the corresponding CE year.
3. Why Did the Reiki Era Begin?
The Reiki era began in connection with the change in imperial rule from Empress Gemmei to Empress Genshō.
Empress Gemmei abdicated in 715, and her daughter Genshō succeeded her. The beginning of Genshō's reign was marked by the adoption of the new era name Reiki.
Changing an era name was an established practice in early Japan. Era names could be introduced for reasons connected with:
A change of sovereign
Political developments
Important events
Auspicious signs
Religious or symbolic beliefs
The desire to mark a new stage in imperial rule
The establishment of Reiki therefore marked a new phase of imperial government while many institutions created under earlier rulers continued.
4. Empress Genshō and the Reiki Era
Empress Genshō was the central ruler of the Reiki Period.
She was born in 683 CE and was the daughter of Prince Kusakabe and Empress Gemmei. She succeeded her mother in 715 and became the 44th sovereign in the traditional Japanese imperial succession.
Genshō's reign continued a pattern of political development that had taken place under earlier rulers, including:
Emperor Tenmu
Empress Jitō
Emperor Monmu
Empress Gemmei
These rulers played important roles in strengthening the authority of the imperial court and developing centralized institutions.
By the time Genshō became sovereign, Japan already had important legal and administrative foundations. Her reign therefore continued an existing process of state development rather than starting from the beginning.
5. The Ritsuryō System During the Reiki Period
One of the most important features of early Nara Japan was the Ritsuryō system.
Ritsuryō was a system of government based on written laws and detailed administrative rules.
The two parts of the term had different meanings:
Ritsu mainly concerned criminal law.
Ryō mainly concerned administrative and civil rules.
The system was influenced by legal and political traditions from China and was adapted to Japanese conditions.
The Taihō Code of 701 had provided a major legal foundation for the Japanese state. During the Reiki Period, the government continued to operate and develop institutions based on this legal framework.
The system required the state to organize:
Government offices
Official ranks
Provinces and districts
Population registration
Tax collection
Land administration
Military obligations
Labor services
Communication networks
The Reiki Period therefore belongs to an important stage in the development of the early Japanese bureaucratic state.
6. Central Government in Reiki-Period Japan
The imperial court at Heijō-kyō was the center of political authority.
Government was organized through a hierarchy of officials and administrative offices. Important areas of government included:
Civil administration
Religious affairs
Military affairs
Finance
Justice
Personnel management
Court ceremonies
Provincial administration
The emperor stood at the center of the political system, while aristocrats and government officials helped operate the expanding state.
The central government also depended on provincial officials to carry out policies outside the capital.
This system allowed the imperial court to exercise greater authority over areas far beyond the immediate capital region.
7. Provinces and Local Administration
Most people in early eighth-century Japan did not live in the capital. They lived in farming communities spread across the provinces.
The government divided the country into administrative areas, including provinces (kuni) and smaller districts.
Provincial authorities were expected to:
Maintain population records
Collect taxes
Manage agricultural communities
Enforce government policies
Maintain local order
Report information to the central government
The success of the Ritsuryō state therefore depended heavily on cooperation between the central government and local officials.
This system was one of the main ways the imperial court attempted to extend its authority across Japan.
8. Heijō-kyō: The Capital of Early Nara Japan
The Reiki Period took place only a few years after the establishment of Heijō-kyō, the capital founded at modern Nara in 710.
Heijō-kyō quickly became the center of Japanese political and cultural life.
The capital was planned according to ideas influenced by the cities of East Asia, particularly Tang China.
Its organized layout reflected the growing power and ambition of the imperial government.
The capital included:
The imperial palace
Government offices
Buddhist temples
Aristocratic residences
Markets
Workshops
Residential areas
The development of Heijō-kyō was closely connected with the creation of a centralized state.
9. Population Registration and Government Control
Managing the population was a major challenge for the Ritsuryō government.
The state depended on agricultural households for taxes and labor. It therefore needed accurate information about where people lived and which communities they belonged to.
Population registration helped the government:
Identify households
Allocate land
Calculate taxes
Organize labor obligations
Manage military responsibilities
Administer local communities
However, the system was difficult to maintain. People could move between communities, and the government's ability to control distant rural areas was limited.
Population movement and settlement policies during this period therefore formed part of the wider effort to make the Ritsuryō system work throughout Japan.
10. Agriculture and the Economy
The economy of Reiki-period Japan was primarily based on agriculture.
Rice cultivation was especially important because agricultural production supported both local communities and the central government.
The government received taxes and other obligations in forms that could include:
Rice and other agricultural products
Cloth
Local goods
Labor services
These resources helped support:
The imperial court
Government officials
Public works
Transportation
Military responsibilities
Religious institutions
Because the state depended heavily on agricultural communities, land and farming were central to the political system.
The government's ability to collect resources from the provinces was one of the key foundations of the Ritsuryō state.
11. Land and the Ritsuryō State
Land management was closely connected with taxation and population registration.
The early Nara government attempted to organize agricultural land and households through state regulations.
The broader land system was associated with the principle that agricultural land was ultimately under state authority, with cultivators receiving access to land according to government rules.
In practice, however, managing land across the entire country was difficult.
Local conditions varied greatly, and the central government could not always enforce its policies equally in every region.
These difficulties would become increasingly important as the Nara period progressed.
12. Religion During the Reiki Period
Religion was an important part of political and social life in early Nara Japan.
Buddhism had become increasingly influential among the imperial family, aristocrats, and government officials.
The court supported Buddhist institutions partly because Buddhism was believed to provide protection and stability for the state.
At the same time, older Japanese religious traditions continued to exist.
Rather than completely replacing earlier beliefs, Buddhism developed alongside existing forms of worship and court ritual.
Religion therefore played several roles in Reiki-period society:
Spiritual practice
Court ceremony
Political symbolism
Education
Cultural activity
Protection of the state
The connection between Buddhism and government would become even stronger during the later Nara period.
13. Buddhism and the Japanese State
Buddhist institutions were becoming important organizations within the developing Japanese state.
Temples could serve as:
Religious centers
Places of learning
Centers of literacy
Locations for official ceremonies
Economic institutions
Symbols of political power
The government and aristocracy provided support to Buddhist temples and monks.
This relationship between Buddhism and the state helped create the religious environment that later produced major Nara-period institutions such as the powerful network of state-supported temples.
The Reiki era was therefore part of the early development of state-supported Buddhism in Japan.
14. Chinese Influence on Reiki-Period Japan
The Japanese government continued to draw heavily on ideas from Tang China.
Chinese influence could be seen in:
Government organization
Written law
Administrative practices
Urban planning
Literature
Education
Diplomacy
Buddhism
Writing
The design of Heijō-kyō reflected East Asian urban planning traditions.
However, Japan did not simply copy China. Japanese rulers adapted continental ideas to their own political conditions, traditions, and social structure.
This process of adaptation was one of the defining features of early Nara civilization.
15. Korean Influence
The Korean Peninsula also played an important role in the transmission of culture and knowledge to Japan.
Earlier migrations and contacts with Korean kingdoms had helped bring expertise in:
Buddhism
Writing
Metalworking
Architecture
Government
Art
Education
By the eighth century, many of these influences had already become part of Japanese society.
The cultural development of Reiki-period Japan should therefore be understood within the wider East Asian world rather than as an isolated Japanese process.
16. Writing, Education and Culture
Chinese characters were the main writing system used by the Japanese government and educated elite.
Government documents, legal records, official reports, and other important materials were written using forms of written Chinese.
Education was mainly available to members of elite and official families.
Knowledge of subjects such as:
Chinese writing
Government administration
Law
History
Literature
Buddhist teachings
was especially valuable for people working in government.
The cultural institutions developing during this period helped prepare the way for major works of Japanese literature and history produced later in the Nara period.
17. Society During the Reiki Period
Society in early Nara Japan was strongly hierarchical.
At the upper levels were:
The imperial family
Court aristocrats
Powerful clans
Senior officials
Below them were:
Local elites
Provincial officials
Farmers
Craftspeople
Traders
There were also people with lower legal and social status, including groups subject to forms of dependency and servitude.
The Ritsuryō system attempted to organize these different groups through law and government regulations.
However, the legal structure did not always reflect everyday life perfectly. Local customs, economic conditions, and geographical differences affected how people actually lived.
18. Daily Life and Rural Communities
For the majority of the population, life was centered on farming.
Rural communities depended heavily on:
Rice cultivation
Seasonal agricultural work
Local crafts
Family labor
Community cooperation
Farmers were important to the state because agricultural production supported the tax system.
They could also be required to provide labor or other services.
Life in rural areas was very different from life in Heijō-kyō, where aristocrats, officials, monks, craftsmen, merchants, and workers lived in a growing urban environment.
19. The Legacy of the Wadō Period
The Reiki Period continued many policies established during the Wadō Period (708–715).
The previous era had seen important developments, including:
The establishment of Heijō-kyō as the capital in 710
Continued development of centralized administration
The production of copper coinage associated with Wadō Kaichin
Expansion of government institutions
Continued development of the Ritsuryō system
When Reiki began, Empress Genshō's government inherited these institutions.
For this reason, the Reiki Period is better understood as a period of continuity and consolidation rather than a completely separate phase of development.
20. Major Developments During the Reiki Period
Although Reiki was short, several important developments took place within its wider historical setting.
1. Change of Sovereign
Empress Genshō succeeded Empress Gemmei in 715.
2. Continued Centralization
The government continued strengthening the Ritsuryō administrative system.
3. Provincial Administration
The central government continued efforts to manage provinces, districts, households, and tax obligations.
4. Development of Heijō-kyō
The capital continued growing as the center of government and culture.
5. Growth of Buddhism
Buddhist institutions continued gaining influence and state support.
6. Population Management
The government continued working to maintain population records and organize agricultural communities.
7. Continued Legal Development
The court continued developing the legal and administrative framework that would contribute to the later Yōrō Code.
21. The Reiki Period and the Yōrō Code
The Yōrō Code is closely connected with the legal development of the years surrounding the Reiki era.
The code was compiled during the period of Empress Genshō's rule, with work beginning before the formal start of the Yōrō era. It was promulgated later, after the Reiki era had ended.
The Yōrō legal system built upon the earlier Taihō Code of 701 and continued Japan's effort to create a detailed system of criminal, administrative, and social regulations.
Therefore, the Reiki Period should be viewed as part of a longer process of legal development rather than as the period in which the Yōrō Code was fully implemented.
22. Reiki Period Timeline
715 CE — Beginning of the Reiki Era
Empress Gemmei abdicates.
Empress Genshō succeeds her.
The Reiki era begins.
The central government continues operating under the Ritsuryō system.
716 CE — Continued State Development
Government administration continues under Empress Genshō.
Population and provincial management remain important government concerns.
Heijō-kyō continues developing as the political center of Japan.
Buddhist institutions remain important to the court.
717 CE — End of the Reiki Era
The Reiki era ends.
The government adopts the Yōrō era name.
Legal and administrative reforms continue under Empress Genshō.
23. Reiki Period vs. Wadō Period
Feature | Wadō Period | Reiki Period |
|---|---|---|
Dates | 708–715 | 715–717 |
Ruler | Empress Gemmei | Empress Genshō |
Historical period | Early Nara | Early Nara |
Capital | Heijō-kyō from 710 | Heijō-kyō |
Government | Ritsuryō state | Continued Ritsuryō administration |
Economy | Agriculture and taxation | Agriculture and taxation |
Religion | Growing Buddhist influence | Continued Buddhist influence |
Major character | State consolidation | Administrative continuity and development |
Successor era | Reiki | Yōrō |
24. Reiki Period in the Broader History of Japan
The Reiki era can be understood as one stage in Japan's long transition toward centralized government.
A simplified sequence is:
Asuka political reforms → Taihō legal reforms → Wadō era → Reiki era → Yōrō era → Mature Nara state
Each stage contributed to the development of institutions that strengthened the imperial court.
The Reiki Period was therefore not an isolated historical episode. It was part of a broader transformation involving:
Centralized government
Written law
Population registration
Taxation
Provincial administration
Capital cities
Buddhism
East Asian cultural exchange
These developments helped shape classical Japanese civilization.
25. What Happened After the Reiki Period?
The Reiki era ended in 717 CE, when the imperial court adopted the Yōrō era name.
Empress Genshō remained on the throne, and the government continued its efforts to strengthen the Ritsuryō system.
The following years saw further developments in:
Law
Government administration
Buddhism
Literature
Provincial government
Land management
Imperial authority
Cultural exchange with continental Asia
These developments contributed to the growth of Nara-period civilization.
26. Why Is the Reiki Period Important?
The Reiki Period may seem less important than longer Japanese eras because it lasted only about two years.
However, its historical value comes from its position during a crucial stage of Japanese state formation.
The government was attempting to transform political authority into a more organized system based on written law and administration.
The major elements of this transformation included:
Imperial authority → Central government → Written law → Population registration → Taxation → Provincial administration → Capital development → State-supported Buddhism
The Reiki era formed part of this process.
Its importance therefore lies less in a single dramatic event and more in the continued development of institutions that shaped Japan for centuries.
27. Key Facts About the Reiki Period
The Reiki Period was a Japanese imperial era from 715 to 717 CE.
Reiki was the era name used during the rule of Empress Genshō.
It belonged to the early Nara period.
It followed the Wadō era and preceded the Yōrō era.
Heijō-kyō, modern Nara, was the capital.
The government continued developing the Ritsuryō system.
Agriculture was the foundation of the economy.
Taxation depended heavily on agricultural production and local resources.
Population registration was important to the functioning of the state.
Buddhism continued to grow in importance among the imperial court and aristocracy.
Chinese and Korean influences continued shaping Japanese culture and institutions.
The legal reforms associated with the Yōrō Code developed within the broader period surrounding the Reiki era.
The era represents an important stage in the development of centralized imperial government in Japan.
Conclusion
The Reiki Period in Japan (715–717 CE) was a brief but significant chapter in the history of the early Nara period. Under Empress Genshō, Japan continued the process of building a centralized government based on the Ritsuryō system, written law, taxation, population registration, and provincial administration.
Heijō-kyō (modern Nara) remained the center of political power, while the imperial court continued to support the development of Buddhism and other institutions that shaped Nara-period culture. At the same time, Japanese government, writing, religion, architecture, and urban planning continued to be influenced by developments in Tang China and the Korean Peninsula.
The Reiki era was not defined by a single major war or dramatic political event. Its importance instead lies in the steady development of the institutions of the early Japanese state. Government officials continued to manage provinces, agricultural communities, taxation, land, and population records, while legal reforms continued to develop toward the later Yōrō legal system.
In this sense, the Reiki Period served as a bridge between the Wadō and Yōrō eras and formed part of the wider transformation of Japan during the Nara period. Studying Reiki helps explain how the imperial court gradually built the political, legal, economic, religious, and cultural foundations of classical Japanese civilization.
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