Was There a "Medieval Japan"?

Japan did not have a "medieval period" equivalent to Europe's. Instead, historians divide its pre-modern history into distinct eras:

• Asuka (538–710)
• Nara (710–794)
• Heian (794–1185)
• Kamakura (1185–1333)
• Muromachi (1336–1573)

The term "medieval Japan" is sometimes loosely applied to the Kamakura–Muromachi span, but it is not a formal or universally accepted designation.