These efforts had stopped short of making Buddhism the state religion, but Nara Buddhism has heightened the status of the imperial family.

Buddhist influence at court increased under the two reigns of Shomu's daughter.

As Empress Koken from 749 to 758, she brings many Buddhist priests into court.

Koken abdicates in 758 on the advice of her cousin, Fujiwara Nakamaro.

When the retired empress comes to favor a Buddhist faith healer named Dokyo, Nakamaro rises up in arms in 764 but is quickly crushed.

Koken charges the ruling emperor with colluding with Nakamaro, and has him deposed and reascends the throne as Empress Shotoku from 764 to 770.

It is at this point that she commissions the printing of one million prayer charms, many examples of which survive, and which are known as the earliest printing in the world until an earlier example dating 751 will be discovered in Korea in 1966.

Shotoku has the charms printed to placate the Buddhist clergy.

She may even have wanted to make Dokyo emperor, but she dies before she can act.

Her actions shock Nara society and lead to the exclusion of women from imperial succession and the removal of Buddhist priests from positions of political authority.