Table Part III-1. Scripts and Literacy in Some Japanese Eras
| Era | Years AD | Scripts and Literacy |
| Yamato | c. 350710 | Chinese characters and Buddhism introduced |
| Nara | 710794 | First surviving history and poetry books in Kanji |
| Heian | 7941185 | Two forms of Kana develop out of Kanji; stories in Kana |
| Muromachi | 13331568 | Romanization of Japanese by Jesuit missionary |
| Edo/Tokugawa | 16001868 | Some European words; a variety of schools teach reading |
| Meiji | 18681912 | Many European words; new words coined on Chinese model; 46 year compulsory education; limit number of Kanji; KanaKanji mix common; Hepburn romanization |
| Showa | 19261989 | Lists of official Kanji;9-year compulsory education; 12 -year schooling common; manga ('comics') and juku ('cram schools') become popular |
| Heisei | 1989 | Additional Kanji for education and names; no school on one Sataurday |