Japan's ancient age was a period of radical and political change during which a Chinese-style empire emerged. This volume of The Cambridge History of Japan spans the beginnings of human existence to the end of the eighth century, focusing on the thousand years between 300 BC and 784, the end of the fabulous Nara period. The volume explores this period in four stages: (1) The Yayoi period (to about AD 250) when small kingdoms and kingdom federations accumulated enough power to dispatch diplomatic missions to Korea and China; (2) the Yamato period (to 587) when priestly rulers, having gained economic and military power, conquered most of Japan; (3) the Century of Reform (to 710) when Japanese leaders, pressed by China's expanding T'ang empire, set out to build a strong Chinese-style empire of their own; (4) the Nara period (to 784) when spectacular literary, artistic, architectural, and religious advances were made. Contents. Preface; Maps; Chronology; Introduction Delmer M. Brown; 1. The earliest societies in Japan J. Edward Kidder Jr.; 2. The Yamato kingdom Delmer M. Brown; 3. The century of reform Inoue Mitsusada and Delmer M. Brown; 4. The Nara state Naoki Kojiro (translated by Felicia G. Bock); 5. Japan and the continent Okazaki Takashi (translated by Janet Goodwin); 6. Early kami worship Matsumae Takeshi (translated by Janet Goodwin); 7. Early Buddha worship Sonoda Koyu and Delmer M. Brown; 8. Nara economic and social institutions Torao Toshiya (translated by William Wayne Farris); 9. Asuka and Nara culture: literacy, literature, and music Edwin A. Cranston; 10. The early evolution of historical consciousness Delmer M. Brown.