The Tenpyō period (710-794) begins with the transfer of the capital from Fujiwara 藤原 to Nara (Heijō-kyō 平城京) in 710, and ends with the move of the capital to Kyoto (Heian-kyō 平安京) in 794. Many American scholars refer to this as the Late Nara period (cf. *Hakuhō jidai 白鳳時代, 645-710 CE: being Early Nara). Many Japanese sources treat Tenpyō as a stylistic term for cultural developments during the period 710-794. The term is especially used for descriptions of the arts of the period, which show considerable influence of Tang China.
In the latter part of the period (after the 760's), a new technique, dry lacquer over a wooden core, was employed for sculpture. Two examples of this technique, the thousand armed Kannon, *Senju Kannon 千手観音, in Tōshōdaiji *Kondō 唐招提寺金堂, Nara, and the *Yakushi 薬師 in the same location indicate a trend toward more corpulent figures with square heads and little necks, a style which culminates in the single-block carved image of Yakushi at Jingoji 神護寺 (ca. 793), Kyoto.