Nagaoka Japan's Forgotten Capital

This is the first work to deal comprehensively with the historical and physical aspects of the Nagaoka palace and capital, which were constructed in the eighth century at the order of Kanmu Tennō, but abruptly abandoned after only ten years.
New research and the information yielded by decades of excavation made possible this fresh reassessment of conventional theories of the construction and layout of Nagaoka, as well as the life and reign of its founder. It also examines the motivations behind Nagaoka's establishment and abandonment within the context of Kanmu's reign and personal convictions. In broader terms, this volume deals with the process of capital building in late eighth-century Japan, and the links between the Nara and Heian capitals.

About the author

Ellen Van Goethem, Ph.D. (2005) in Oriental Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, is an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies at Hosei University. Nagaoka, Japan's Forgotten Capital is her first book.

Product details

• Authors: Ellen van Goethem
• Publisher: Brill
• Content: Book
• Product form: Paperback / Softback
• Publication date: 09.04.2008
• Subject: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous
• EAN: 9789004166004
• ISBN: 978-90-04-16600-4
• Pages: 370
• Dimensions (packing): 16.8 x 24.3 x 2.6 cm
• Weight (packing): 771 g
• Series: Brill's Japanese Studies Libra > 29; Brill
• Subjects: Japan; HISTORY / Middle East / General; History - General History; HISTORY / Asia / Japan; ca. 500 bis ca. 1000 n. Chr.