THE FORMATION OF THE RITSURYŌ STRUCTURE

THERE WERE THREE or four waves of migration from the Korean peninsula (Inoue 1999) but one of the biggest took place from the end of the fifth to the start of the sixth century. On the Korea peninsula, Koguryō at the end of the first century and Kudara/Paekche and Silla in the fourth had completed the process of state formation and during the late fifth and early sixth centuries migrants to Japan from these states brought with them their knowledge of state organization and administration. From the start of the fifth century the Koguryō state grew in power, began to coerce Paekche and Silla and the peninsula entered a period of upheaval. The Wa kingdom could not avoid being influenced by this; however, through the creation of a united state with central authority, it tried to keep out of this international crisis. The creation of the state proceeded on the basis of knowledge about state formation brought by immigrants from the three states of Korea. Preparations for the ritsuryō structure began in the late sixth and early seventh centuries. It was the Empress Suiko (592–628) who despatched the Kenzui embassy which brought back knowledge about the unification of the Chinese state. Later another embassy sent to Tang China (618–907) brought back information about the organization of the state there and the final development of the ritsuryō system took place during the reign of the emperor Temmu after the rebellion of 672 through partial reforms led by the Taika reformation. It is possible that the system of imperial names was used from the time of emperor Tenji (662)–671 but it was definitely in use at the time of Temmu (673)–686 (Ueda 2012b). A civil, criminal and administrative system was complete by the time of the implementation of the Asukaki Yomihara edict of 689 and the Taihō edict of 701–702. This system continued with changes, disturbances and decay for around five hundred years until the end of the Heian era. Its influence remained until the time of the Meiji restoration and even affected the names given to bureaucratic structures after the restoration.