Asuka, Nara

Infobox City Japan
Name= Asuka
JapaneseName= 明日香村
Map

Region= Kansai
Prefecture= Nara Prefecture
District= Takaichi District
Area_km2= 24.08
PopDate= September 1, 2007
Population= 6146
Density_km2= 255.23
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 34
LatitudeMinutes= 28
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 135
LongtitudeMinutes= 49
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Zelkova serrata
Flower= Citrus tachibana
Bird=
Symbol
!border
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor=
CityHallPostalCode= 634-0111
CityHallAddress= 55 Ōaza Oka, Asuka-mura, Nara-ken
CityHallPhone= 0744-54-2001
CityHallLink= [http://www.asukamura.jp/ Village of Asuka] :"This article is about the village of nihongo|Asuka|明日香. For articles related to the capital, sites and ruins of nihongo|Asuka|飛鳥, see Asuka, Yamato. For other uses, see Asuka."

nihongo|Asuka|明日香村|Asuka-mura is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara, Japan.

As of September 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 6,146 and a density of 255.23 persons per km². The total area is 24.08 km².

Asuka is the land where ancient nihongo|Asuka|飛鳥 palaces were located. There are strict rules governing construction in this historic town.

Asuka can be reached from Okadera or Asuka Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line train line. Although it's outside Asuka, Kashiharajingū-mae Station in neighboring Kashihara has service on the Kintetsu Kashihara, Minami-Osaka and Yoshino Lines. By car, Asuka is on Route 169.

History

"For the ancient Asuka, see Asuka period and Asuka, Yamato."

Thanks to the ancient capital, which is located there, Asuka has been known as a good place to sightsee, especially for history lovers.

In 1956, the village of Asuka (明日香) was founded as a result of a merger of three villages, Sakaai, Takechi and Asuka (飛鳥村).

In 1966, Asuka was proclaimed a "historic town", as defined by the national Special Arrangement for Preservation of Historic Sites Law [http://www.houko.com/00/01/S41/001.HTM] as well as Kyoto, Nara and Kamakura. The law restricts constructions and other civil engineering operations in the designated areas due preservation of the historic sites. In 1967, a part of Asuka, around 391ha in area, was designated as a historic site for preservation. Along with this decision, the government planned to build Asuka National Historic Park, for which construction was launched in 1966 and finished in 1994.

In 1972, a site with colorfully painted murals from the late Asuka period was found in the Takamatsuzuka Tomb.

Since the Special Arrangement for Preservation of Historic Sites Law (1966) restricts any visual changes in the areas which it concerns, it has directly affected the daily life of residents. To preserve the site, they have had to give up some elements of modern life. As compensation, the Asuka Law, which aims to preserve the site effectively and give economic support for Asuka residents, was settled in 1980.

Asuka stones and Kofun

In various parts of the Asuka region are unusual carved granite stones the largest of which is Masuda no iwafune. This is a large stone structure approximately 11 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 4.7 meters In height. The upper surface is flat, with a shallow trough and two square holes. This is located on top of a hill just a few hundred meters west of Okadera Station. How or why this colossal stone and others was carved remains a mystery. They appear to be a differant style than later Buddhist sculptures. [ http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/asukas.htm ] [ http://www.megalithic.co.uk/search.php?query=&topic=&author=&sitetype=44&county=602&category=&type=stories ] There are also several nearby kofuns or tombs including the Ishibutai Kofun which is built from massive boulders including one that weighs an estimated 75 tons. This may have been the tomb of Soga-no-Umako. [ http://www.asukanet.gr.jp/asukahome/ASUKA2/ASUKAKOFUN/isibutaiK.html ]

urrounding municipalities

* Nara Prefecture
** Kashihara
** Sakurai
** Takatori
** Yoshino

Places of interest

*Temples
** Asuka-dera
** Tachibana-dera
** Ryugai-ji
* Kameishi (Turtle Rock)
* Ishibutai Kofun
* Kitora Kofun
* Takamatsuzuka Kofun
* Amakashinooka

ister cities

* Buyeo County, South Korea

ee also

* Capital of Japan
* Prince Shōtoku

External links

*ja icon [http://www.asukamura.jp/ Village of Asuka]