The Nara Period is also called the Tempyo Period, a time when Buddhism as the ritsuryo state religion influenced Japan in all its spheres, politically and culturally. It was a very active period in which many missions and students were sent to Tang Dynasty China. The students who returned from China played important roles in the Japanese government.
With the building of many state sponsored temple complexes not only in the capital but in outlying provinces, the period is known for the many Buddhism-inspired arts. At the centre of the Emperor Shomu’s conceived Buddhist universe was Todai-ji Temple and within the temple lay the Vairocana Buddha (Daibutsu) and its treasure house, the Shoso-in.
The Great Buddha Hall, Todai-ji (Wikimedia)
The Shoso-in Repository possesses many different musical instruments, ceramics and decorative works that not only show the Buddhist influences but also the cosmopolitan influences of the times. Many of the collected pieces were actually from China, India and the Middle East during the Tempyo (Nara) Period.
The Tempyo or Nara Period is the Golden Age of sculpture, with the sculptures of the Nara period regarded as the finest examples of the medium in Japan.
The Daibutsu (Vairocana Buddha), Todai-ji Temple
The wooden statue of Miroku Bosatsu (below), one of the treasures of Koryu-ji Temple, is regarded as an outstanding example of beauty and purity in Japanese art.
Miroku Bosatsu, Koryu-ji Temple
The Miroku Bosatsu is also kown as the “Buddha of the future”, the new saviour” who would lead people on the road to Enlightenment.
In the field of literature, from the Tempyo Period is passed down the legacy of Japan’s first historical literary works the Kojiki and Nihon shoki. These were historical works that also interwove collected myths of ancient Japan into the representations of the history of the founding of the mythical age of the gods to the Yamato state centred around the lives of the emperors. As a result of the political intention to strengthen the imperial system during Emperor Shomu’s day, the accounts surrounding those early Kofun-Yamato years are a combination of legends, mythology, some fabricated or distorted events as well as actual facts based on earlier historical texts now lost to modern-day Japan. Accounts from the 7th century onwards are regarded as fairly reliable.
The other significant Tempyo published literature was the Manyoshu (The Collection of Myriad Leaves), a collection of poetry written between the Yamato and Tempyo periods. The earliest fragments of poetry from the Manyoshu date back to the Asuka Period.
The Tempyo Period ended when Emperor Kammu moved the imperial capital back to Nagaoka in the suburbs of Kyoto in 784.
Heritage of Japan 
Thank you for your interesting post. I will use it as a reference for the Tempyo era.
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So much calm emanates
A fin article! I gave my daughter a statue out of my collection that I loved.
I can’t post photos here. 😢
The statue is a standing breasted female, with this same finger position, of the right holding a folded Japanese fan, and the finger almost touching the chin. She is warring a amazing corseted coat, that has extremely flared out sides, like a temple roof, that is resting on her hips. She has the old style Japanese bun hate style, and a pearl necklace! The is holding a dress 👗 up folded in the hand. The statue has a sensual feeling, with this Korean Buddha, Japanese flair! It is a rare thing to see! I will send you photos if you send me a text link. Please add my name to the photos if you publish them! I would like to maintain the copy rights. Thank you for your time! Phillup
The statue is about fifteen inches tall. Hard black hardwood! Vary heavy like a chunk of iron! Her right hand has the folded fan, and finger. This is a vary similar to these Korean, Japanese Buddha’s. Her left is holding the dress. Sorry for my bad grammar, and spelling!