Baekje
General百済 ・ Reading: Kudara (Baekje)
Definition
A kingdom of southwestern Korea (18 BCE to 660 CE) and early Japan's closest ally on the continent. Baekje transmitted Buddhism, writing, and temple-building craft to the Japanese court, setting off the temple culture you see today.
Japan's window to the continent
Baekje (Kudara in Japanese) ruled southwestern Korea for nearly seven centuries and kept close diplomatic ties with the Yamato court. Along that channel flowed the skills that transformed early Japan: Chinese writing carried by scribes, advanced ironwork and ceramics, and above all Buddhism. In 538 (or 552) a Baekje king sent a Buddha image and sutras to the Japanese court, the official start of Japanese Buddhism, and Baekje architects, tile makers, and sculptors later helped raise Asuka-dera, the first full-scale temple in Japan.
The fall and the legacy
Baekje fell to the combined forces of Silla and Tang China in 660. Japan sent a fleet to restore its ally and was crushed at the Battle of Baekgang in 663, after which thousands of Baekje refugees, including nobles, monks, and craftsmen, settled in Japan and enriched its court culture. Temples and place names connected to these immigrant communities survive around Osaka and Nara, quiet reminders that Japanese temple culture began as a gift carried across the sea.
Common questions
- Why does Baekje matter for Japanese temples?
Baekje officially introduced Buddhism to Japan in 538 or 552 and sent the architects, tile makers, and sculptors who helped build the first Japanese temples, including Asuka-dera.
- What happened to Baekje?
It fell to Silla and Tang China in 660. Japan's attempt to restore its ally ended in defeat at the Battle of Baekgang in 663, and many Baekje refugees settled permanently in Japan.
- What is Baekje called in Japanese?
Kudara. The name appears in old temple names, place names, and chronicles, especially around the Osaka and Nara regions where immigrant communities from Baekje settled.