📰 Ōmi Ōtsu Palace

The Ōmi Ōtsu Palace was an imperial palace built by Emperor Tenchi in Asuka period Japan in what is now the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It served as the capital of Japan for a five-year period from 667 to 672 AD. Also known as the Ōtsu Palace , or Shiga no Miyako (志賀の都), it was most frequently referred to in ancient sources as the Ōmi Ōtsu-no-miya (水海大津宮). It was at this location that the Ōmi Code and the family registry system were promulgated, which laid the foundations for the later ritsuryō state. Its location was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1979, with the area under protection expanded in 2007