• From the Kofun to the Nara period (250–794)
• Words to Know: Japan
• Korea
• The Heian period (794–1185)
• The Kamakura and Muromachi periods (1185–1573)
• Ritual Suicide
• For More Information

Though Japan had been inhabited for thousands of years, its history did not truly begin until the adoption of writing in the A.D. 400s. Yet the origins of the Japanese remain a mystery. Linguists are divided as to whether their language is related to those of Central Asia or to no other tongues on Earth. Certainly the Japanese language is not related to Chinese, though China would be Japan's greatest cultural influence in its...