Shōtoku was a member of the powerful Soga family and was the second son of the short-reigned emperor Yōmei. When political maneuvering brought his aunt to the throne, Shōtoku became crown prince and regent in 593. He remained in that position until his death. One of his first acts was to resume sending envoys to China, a practice that had been discontinued since the 5th century, thus opening up avenues for cultural, economic, and political exchange. He imported scores of Chinese artists, craftsmen, and clerks into Japan, adopted the Chinese calendar, created a system of highways, and erected many Buddhist temples, including the Hōryū Temple, built in 607 in Ikaruga, near Nara, which is now considered among the oldest surviving wooden structures