Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784, lending its name to the Nara period. According to the ancient Japanese book Nihon Shoki, the name "Nara" derived from the Japanese word narashita meaning "made flat". The temples of Nara, known collectively as the Nanto Shichi Daiji, remained powerful even beyond the move of the political capital to Heian-kyō in 794, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto. In 2010, Nara celebrated the 1,300th anniversary of its ascension as Japan's imperial capital.