The site of an 8th century AD palace and the capital of the Ritsuryo state in Nara Prefecture, Japan. The seat of the government from 710-784, the grid-city plan includes remains of some 500 buildings, including royal residences, administrative quarters, warehouses, and workshops. Of particular interest are over 20,000 inked thin rectangular pieces of wood (mokkan), which served as office memoranda and labels attached to tributes from the provinces.