The Asuka period in Japan began ca. 538 CE with the introduction of Buddhism from Korea. The period takes its name from the de facto capital, Asuka, in today’s Nara prefecture. The Buddhist Soga clan took over the government in the 580s and controlled Japan until 645, when they were overthrown by the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwaras  implemented the far-reaching Taika Reforms, based on Confucian ideas from China. Further administrative reforms culminated with the promulgation of the Taihō Code, which consolidated existing laws and established the structure of the central government and local governments, a system that remained in place for half a millennium. Conventionally, the Asuka period ends with the transfer of the capital to the Heijō Palace in Nara in 710 CE.

The art and architecture of the Asuka period embodies the themes of Buddhism. One of the most celebrated works of architecture is the  Hōryū-ji temple in Ikaruga (Nara Prefecture) completed in 607 CE. It is the oldest surviving wooden structure in the world. The Temple of Asuka-dera houses a bronze Buddha statue made by Kuratsukuri no Tori, nicknamed Tori Busshi (“maker of Buddhist images”). Over the centuries the statue has been damaged by fires, but part of the face, the right ear and three fingers of the right hand remain from the original of the early seventh century. Web resources here and here.