Overview

Wadō (和銅) is the Japanese era name (nengō) that covers the years from January 708 until September 715, following the Keiun era and preceding the Reiki era. The period corresponds with the reign of Empress Gemmei (Genmei-tennō). The era name itself commemorates an important natural and economic discovery and became associated with early state developments in the early eighth century.

Name and origin

The characters for Wadō combine 和 (wa, an ancient name for Japan or a notion of harmony) and 銅 (dō, "copper"). The name was adopted after copper deposits were reported in what was then Musashi Province (modern parts of Saitama and nearby areas). That discovery led to the minting of official coinage known as the Wadōkaichin, often regarded as Japan's earliest government-issued coins.

Key events and developments

  • 708: Announcement of the copper find and the beginning of official minting, traditionally dated to this year.
  • 710: The imperial seat moved to Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara), marking the start of a permanent capital and a new phase of urban planning and court organization.
  • 712: Compilation of the Kojiki, an early chronicle of myths and historical traditions collected under imperial authority.
  • 715: End of the Wadō era; Empress Gemmei abdicated and the Reiki era name followed.

These events reflect administrative, cultural and economic shifts as the central government consolidated institutions and symbols of statehood.

Significance and legacy

Wadō is often highlighted for linking natural resources to state formation: copper provided a metal basis for coinage and symbolized resource control. The Wadōkaichin coinage was modeled on contemporary continental types and marks an important moment in Japan's fiscal history. The move to Heijō-kyō established an imperial capital whose layout and institutions influenced later Nara-period governance.

For context about the era-name system see nengō; Wadō follows Keiun and precedes Reiki. The period remains a focus for historians studying early state formation, archaeology of coinage and the consolidation of court culture in eighth-century Japan.