NO.	EVENTS
1	Japan's archipelago was formed 15 million years ago after the edge of the Eurasian continent split off 21 million years ago. The first ancestors were thought to come to the archipelago from Siberia, Asian continent 30,000 to 50,000 years ago chasing mammoths on foot during the ice age, when the sea level around Japan got low a lot.
2	The sea was back around the archipelago about 12,000 years ago when the ice age finished. Afterwards small groups of people came on boat to the archipelago from southern islands in the Pacific Ocean.
3	Small groups of Chinese farmers came to Kyushu island on boat escaping from China under civil war and started rice cultivation 300 to 400 years before Jesus Christ.
4	Imperial family established a local regime in the end of 3rd century south of Nara, started ruling there with Shintoism and expanding its territory gradually.
5	KINMEI, 29th emperor imported Buddhism through Korean Peninsula in 552
6	The first capital "HEIJO-KYO" was constructed in Yamato region (NARA) in 710 and Buddhism flourished to the peak during NARA period.
7	The second capital "HEIAN-KYO" was constructed in Yamashiro region (KYOTO) in 794 and lasted until 1869.
8	The emperor's government accomplished its conquest all over Japan except the northernmost Hokkaido island in the beginning of 9th century and then high ranking noblemen threw away the positions of military and police heads due to Shintoist doctrine and pacifist ideas. As a result the social security got worse.
9	Then emperor nominated three families, MINAMOTO, TAIRA and FUJIWARA as SAMURAI ( i.e. serving warrior) among the low class aristocrats and court guards in 901 in order for them to be able to occupy the positions of head of military, police, and of provincial governor for the restoration of the social security once deteriorated.
10	MINAMOTO No Yoritomo established the first SAMURAI regime, KAMAKURA Shogunate with military power at KAMAKURA, south of Tokyo in 1185 and was appointed as shogun, the head of SAMURAI by then emperor in 1192. In this way Japan established dual governing system in which the emperor is the state head and shogun is a real governor of the state. After MINAMOTO's regime ASHIKAGAS Takauji established the second Shogunate in Kyoto in 1136 and fell in 1573.
11	The matchlock was introduced by a Portuguese wrecked ship in Tanegashima island, southern Japan in 1543, the large scale production of higher quality matchlock started by Japanese artisans several years later and Japan held a half million in the end of 16th century. And the first Spanish missionary, Francisco Xavier, the society of Jesus, landed on Kagoshima, Kyushu island in 1549 and preached the Gospel for 2 years.
12	One of the greatest feudalistic lords, TOKUGAWA Ieyasu started constructing "EDO" castle (now, Imperial Palace) and a new city ( EDO, now Tokyo) in MUSASHI wilds in 1590. He became the first shogun of the TOKUGAWAs in 1603 after winning SEKIGAHARA battle against his rival feudal lords in 1600 and bringing civil war period to the end. During TOKUGAWA's regime Japan was divided in about 300 fieves and each fief was directly governed by its feudal lord under the severe supervision of the TOKUGAWA Shogunate. TOKUGAWA Ieyasu is now enshrined at NIKKO TOSHOGU Shrine in NIKKO city, 100 km, just north of Tokyo.
13	Japan was under national isolation policy from 1639 to 1858 with fears toward possible invasion by European countries, only keeping commercial relationship with Netherlands and China. As a result she was enjoying a long time peace and developing her own culture, science, art and so on with very high literacy rate.
14	American flotilla ( 4 black ships) suddenly came to the EDO bay in 1853 and 1854, and finally made the Shogunate open four sea ports such as Hakodate, Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki under an unequal pact in 1858 for her whale ships navigating around Japan and European countries, too.
15	The emperor MEIJI overthrew the TOKUGAWA Shogunate in 1868 and transferred the capital to EDO changing the name of EDO to TOKYO i.e. eastern KYOTO in 1869. Afterwards his central government started a rapid modernization and militarization in order to prevent from foreign imperialist invasions. And the government promulgated modern constitution granted by the emperor in 1889 and implemented it in 1890.
16	The second World War finished in 1945 after almost all cities all over Japan had been bombed and two atomic bombs had been finally dropped respectively over Hiroshima and Nagasaki by American bombers on 6th and 9th August. In the postwar she had concentrated her power in recovering the economy and enhancing her technology implementing the new Constitution, in which the emperor is prescribed as symbol of the nation, in 1947.
17	The current emperor "NORIHITO", 63 is 126th emperor based on the imperial chronicles "KOJIKI" and " NIHON SHOKI" compiled in 720. But many historians say he is 101st emperor based on their investigations.

Name of period	Head of the state	Capital	Shogunate or Government	Seat of politics	Calendar years
JOMON					14,000 to 500 BC
YAHOO					500 BC to 300 AD
TUMULI	Emperor				300 to 593 AD
ASUKA	Emperor				593 to 710
NARA	Emperor	Nara		Nara	710 to 794
HEIAN	Emperor	Kyoto		Kyoto	794 to 1185
KAMAKURA	Emperor	Kyoto	The Minamotos (samurai)	Kamakura	1185 to 1333
MUROMACHI	Emperor	Kyoto	The Ashikagas (samurai)	Kyoto	1336 to 1573
AZUCHI- MOMOYAMA	Emperor	Kyoto	Oda/Toyotomi (bushi/warrior)	Azuchi/Osaka	1573 to 1603
EDO	Emperor	Kyoto	The Tokugawas (samurai)	Edo	1603 to 1868
MEIJI	Emperor	Tokyo	Prime minister	Tokyo	1868 to 1912
TAISHO	Emperor	Tokyo	Prime minister	Tokyo	1912 to 1926
SHOWA	Emperor (Symbol of the state since 1946)	Tokyo	Prime minister	Tokyo	1926 to 1989
HEISEI	Emperor (Symbol)	Tokyo	Prime minister	Tokyo	1989 to 2019
REIWA	Emperor (Symbol)	Tokyo	Prime minister	Tokyo	2019 and after