ArticleKey #20: Son of Heaven - Part 1, Nara.

Throughout history, the two most powerful anvils, shaping nations and countries, have been religion/ideology and government. For Japan, the former meant Shintoism and, mostly, Buddhism that almost singlehandedly created the utterly unique samurai culture. As for the government, it kept switching between military rulers (shoguns) and Emperors, while the second half of the 20th century threw democracy into the mix, as well. Both shoguns and Emperors had ruled the country for centuries on end, and both left an indelible imprint on its identity - yet, their contribution and style of ruling were utterly dissimilar. Military leaders would rule hands on and take direct responsibility not only for state matters (such as civil laws, foreign affairs, fiscal policies…) but also for every aspect of daily life - from construction styles to social relationships based on a strict occupation-related hierarchy. Regulating toilet stalls is a telling - even if rather extreme - example of that approach. As opposed, Imperial rule had always been steeped in symbolism.

The cornerstone of Japanese Imperial lore is the notion of legendary Emperor Jimmu being a great-grandson of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. That supposed relationship, effectively establishing the status of Jimmu and all his descendants as semi-deities, earned Japanese Emperors an official title “Son of Heaven” - and determined ultimate importance of everything associated with them. Amaterasu's gifts to the newborn - a sword, a mirror and a jewel ("baby shower gifts" in modern terms) - turned into key state regalia, and no Emperor would ever leave the capital without them for almost two millennia. No feudal lord, however powerful, would ever dare decline Emperor's invitation. No general, however victorious would ever hope to become Shogun, unless approved by the Emperor (most Shoguns-to-be managed to obtain such an approval but none of them would be a legitimate ruler without one). While many hereditary kings would claim power as their birthright, precious few rulers could do the same when it came to unquestionable moral authority. The semi-deity status placed Japanese Emperors among those few, thus enabling them to remain the centerpiece of Japanese society even if they chose to do nothing but “participating in ceremonies, hunting, playing board games and proliferating”, as a Nara Imperial Palace guide once put it… 

“Nara Imperial Palace” is a somewhat misleading description. A palace is essentially a building, big as it may be - often next to a number of auxiliary structures. The palace in question is, in fact, a network of buildings interspersed between fields, and stretching several kilometres in each direction. The following picture gives but a rough idea of the size of the complex

It is indeed located not far from Nara City Centre - by modern standards, that is. Since transportation means in the 8th century AD didn't include cars and trains, the “not far” notion had to be significantly modified - and that modification would imply a much more important change in perception. Not exactly a single building, and not exactly in Nara - “Palace Town” looks like a much better name for what's officially known as “Nara Imperial Palace”. As it turned out, Palace Town had its own citizens and its own fashions

Fashions were formal but also practical because they were colour-coded: the darker the colour the higher the rank of the wearer. Fast forward to “here and now”, and if you are into trying an ancient garment, red would be the most popular colour on offer (as purple was reserved for Emperor alone, it's considered sacrilegious to keep it in the collection used by mere mortal visitors!). 

Palace Town also had its own suppliers

and established routes of delivery

Meticulously registering and storing every food item was within purview of the Palace Food Department traditionally led by one of the highest-ranked “red” administrators whose annual income would amount to about 300,000 $ in today's currency. Tens of other departments employed thousands of workers - cooks, artisans, builders, gardeners… Hunter was likely a full-time profession, and hunt masters must have ranked among top administrators

Likewise, ceremony master, while board games and proliferation were less formalized, more spontaneous, and almost certainly unpaid for…