8th Century Japanese

The Nara period (710-794 A.D.) in Japan saw the flourishing of Buddhism. Although Buddhism had entered Japan from China in 518, it was during the Nara period that its following grew, and that the religion evolved and was "Japanized" along with other influences from China. Buddhist imagery became central to Japanese art during this time, and many sculptures were created to decorate the numerous monasteries being built in the new capital of Nara.