Welcome to Asuka
Japan has been shaped by more than 2,000 years of history. Asuka, where the country came into existence about 1,400 years ago, served as the political, economic, and cultural center of the country for about 100 years. Surrounded by the city’s numerous palaces and Buddhist temples, the people of Asuka lay the foundations of Japan as a nation-state while adopting the latest cultural influences through exchanges with the nations of East Asia; the many burial mounds, temples, and stone structures remaining in the area attest to the strength of those influences. The Asuka style embodied by the city’s temples and Buddhist sculpture, which followed the Hakuho and Tempyo cultures and was passed on to Heijo-kyo, the site of the capital during the Nara period, embodies the foundation on which today’s Japanese culture is built.
A place of rich history and natural beauty, Asuka is deservedly known as the spiritual home of the Japanese people.
