
Archaeologists in western Japan have unearthed the remains of a wooden palace believed to be that of a seventh-century emperor who laid the foundations for the nation's centralised bureaucracy.... recently found remains of a stone courtyard, a pond and holes for wooden pillars they believe were part of the residence of the Emperor Temmu, who reigned from 672 until 686 and is remembered for establishing a centralised bureaucracy modelled on that of ancient China.