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- Smart History - Heian period, an introduction
- Association for Asian Studies - Teaching about Heian Japan
- PBS LearningMedia - Japan in the Heian Period and Cultural History
- Humanities LibreTexts - The Heian Period
- World History Encyclopedia - Heian Period
- Norwood Secondary College Library - Shogunate Japan: The rise and fall of the Emperor during the Heian period
- Encyclopedia of Japan - Heian period
- CORE - Heian Japan and Chinese Influence
Heian period
Heian period, in Japanese history, the period between 794 and 1185, named for the location of the imperial capital, which was moved fromNara toHeian-kyō (Kyōto) in 794.
The Chinese pattern of centralized government that was first adopted in theNara period (710–784) gradually changed as the growth of private estates (shōen), exempt from taxation,encroached upon the public domain and reduced the substance of state administration. From the mid-9th century the court was dominated by members of theFujiwara family, who controlled the imperial line as regents by marrying their daughters to imperial heirs. Their influence reached its peak underFujiwara Michinaga, who dominated the court from 995 to 1027, but then declined as a succession of non-Fujiwara emperors came to power. A new centre of authority emerged in 1086 when EmperorShirakawa retired early and established a cloistered regime (insei) to rule behind the throne, a system continued sporadically by later emperors.
- Date:
- 794 - 1185
- Location:
- Japan
The period was characterized by the flourishingculture of the courtaristocracy, which actively engaged in the pursuit ofaesthetic refinement, leading to new developments in art and literature. LadyMurasaki Shikibu’s 11th-centurynovel,The Tale of Genji, is a brilliant record of life among the nobility and is considered one of the great works of world literature. In religion theesoteric sects of Tendai andShingonBuddhism practiced formalistic rites that paralleled elaborate court ritual. The doctrines of the True Pure Land sect, emphasizing simple faith in Buddha Amida, also grew in popularity. These doctrines offeredsolace to the populace during the social upheaval that occurred in the late Heian period, which was marked by local disturbances and armed struggle among provincial military bands. This strife reached the capital itself in 1156, when warriors of theTaira and Minamoto clans backed rival claimants to the throne. The Taira were victorious, and they maintainedtenuous control over the court until 1185.See alsoFujiwara style.
