Heijō Palace
Heijo Palace (平城宮, Heijō-kyū) in Nara, was the Imperial Palace of Japan during the Nara Period (710-784 CE). The remains of the palace, and the surrounding area, was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 along with a number of other buildings, as the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara," and is located in the vicinity of today's Yamatokoriyama, outside the city of Nara proper.
After the capital was moved from Fujiwara-kyo to Heijo-kyo (Nara) in CE 707, there was much discussion as to where to build the new Imperial Palace. Eventually, in 745, the site at Heijo-kyo ('Heijo Capital'), also called Nanto (南都, 'Southern Capital'), which would later come to be called Nara, was decided upon.
The city, and the palace grounds, was based largely on Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), the capital of China during the T'ang Dynasty, which was contemporary to the time when Nara was capital of Japan. Chang'an was in turn, like many ancient East Asian cities, based on a complex system of beliefs & laws of geomancy. This dictated the grid system of streets, as well as the necessity for spiritually protective shrines or temples to be placed at particular cardinal directions around the city.
In accordance with this system, the Palace was placed at the northern end of Suzaku Street, the main thoroughfare running north-south straight through the center of the city. The street ended at the Suzaku-mon, depicted above, and the rest of the Palace buildings were then placed around this gate. The primary buildings of the Palace compound were the Daigoku-den, where governmental affairs were conducted, the Chôdô-in where formal ceremonies were held, the Dairi, the Emperor's residence, and offices for various administrative agencies. The foundations or footprints of these buildings are still visible on the site.
When the capital was moved to Heian-kyo (now called Kyoto), Nara's Imperial Palace was simply abandoned. Over the ensuing centuries, the ravages of time and the elements slowly destroyed the buildings, until by the beginning of the Kamakura Period in the late 12th century there was practically nothing left above ground. However, those sections that lay underground were preserved, and re-discovered by modern archaeologists. The site has officially remained Imperial property since the Palace stood, and so no new buildings or developments could be built without Imperial approval. Archaeological & restorative efforts began in 1955, and the site was opened to the public in 1998. The Suzaku-mon and Tou-in Garden have been restored.
In 1959, the National Cultural Organization of Nara declared that the site remain unchanged. Exceptions were made for the continuing archaeological efforts, the restorations, and the construction of a section of railway running through one corner of the grounds.