The Heian Period from about 794-1185 A.D. was an impressive era in Japanese history. Considered Japan’s Classical Age, it was a period of wealth and sophistication. Peace and prosperity, high culture, powerful clans, new ideas and relative independence of foreign influence marked this time.
The move to the capital of Heian-kyō (modern day Kyoto) was motivated in large part on a desire by Emperor Kammu to reduce the substantial influence exercised by the monasteries in Heijō-kyō (modern day Nara). Nara was patterned after the capital city of Tang, China, and its religion was based on their brand of Buddhism. Earlier Imperial sponsorship of Buddhism had politicized the clergy, resulting in power and corruption within their leadership.
However, following Emperor Kammu and his successor Daigo, the church wasn’t the main influence on rule during the Heian period. The Fujiwara Clan came into power after these emperors and dominated Japanese government between 794 and 1160. Their increasing influence was due to their continual intermarrying of female clan members with emperors. They would then rule for the offspring of these unions when they assumed the throne. The Fujiwara manipulated rulers and were the real decision makers.
With all the power resting with the Fujiwara clans, the Heian was a period of relative peace. Birth, rank, and breeding counted for everything, and riches and power were passed from generation to generation.
In addition to controlling politics, the rich Fujiwaras greatly influenced Japanese culture with their love of style. Fashionable attire at this time consisted of layer upon layer of expensive silks, with women sometimes wearing as many as 40 layers of clothing. Multiple layering of expensive fabrics ma...
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...hese teachings being passed on only in oral form from teacher to student, this form of Buddhism became very popular and a vital force in Japanese culture.
It must be stated, however, that in spite of the culture, peace and prosperity of the Heian capital and its immediate area, surrounding areas were not as wealthy or fortunate. The ruling aristocracy was a small minority; the majority of Japanese inhabitants were largely illiterate and impoverished, vulnerable to crime and droughts. They were in large part ignored except for taxation purposes.
The Heian Period and its powerful ruling parties brought about a new level of heightened culture and literacy not seen in Japan prior. It showed the beginnings of a Japanese identity that would become unique. However, it was also an age of indulgence and in many cases selfish pride.
Works Cited
History of World Societies
War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. A chief headed each clan; made up of related families. The chiefs were the ancestors of Japan's imperial family. The wars were usually about land useful for the production of rice. In fact, only 20% of the land was fit for farming. The struggle for control of that land eventually ga...
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinese and Japanese faced much internal conflict, but while China faced a combination of economic setbacks and political weakness, the Japanese were riddled with wars along their countryside. First, the Chinese emperor was too weak in comparison to his bureaucracy, which ended up making most of the decisions for the last Ming dynasty emperor. This was due to the emperor’s realization that having a title as Son of Heaven did not mean he had all the power of the empire. Instead he lived a laid back life where the bureaucrats vied for power and wealth amongst themselves and he merely managed them. Like the Chinese, the Japanese also saw elites battling it out for power, but this time on the battlefield with armies of samurai. These battles put Japan in a period much like the Warring States period in early Chinese history, where families fought and fought for power almost endlessly. The political weakness in China contributed to its economic failure as well. With no force to manage to seas, pirates were free to raid trade ships and villages along the coast line, weakening the Chinese economy that relied on a transport system to supply the country. These two major forces led to China’s fragmentation and eventual takeover by the Manchu. In contrast, the battles happening in Japan were not harmful to the economy as much as they were in China. This is due to the fact that the Japanese daimyos were independent...
customs and traditions hidden in the roots of the Japanese empire. The Tang Dynasty displayed a
The samurai are one of the most reconizable and most renowned warriors of the ancient times. They were members of a unique military class called the Japanese warriors. They emereged and grew more and more important during the Heian period (794-1185) when powerfull land owners hired them for their personal saftey and protection of their property. In the later times of the Heian period the most powerful military families, the Minamoto and Taira, had taken over political power over Japan and fought wars and battles for supremacy. When shogun Minamoto Yoritomo established a new government in Kamakura in 1192, the shogun (the highest military officer) became the ruler of Japan.
The sense of necessary honor was very unique to the samurai society. It enabled samurai to develop a culture derived from their individualistic ways. Socially, the samurai initiated many new aspects of popular Japanese culture. In their drive to fulfill their independent fight for honor and status samurai began to take part in high status activities. Being a part of a warrior class gave samurai warriors a distinct character of ruthless killers, but during the Muromachi period in Japan, culture among the samurai flourished. It became common to see samurai enjoying no theatre, developing gardens, and taking part in the flourishing tea ceremony (Keene). This became important to the samurai because they were desperate to have a sense of honor and power. These activities were enjoyed by the samurai who had enough time and money to spare. This showed status and power to the individual samurai. Also, within soc...
A key defining characteristic of pre-occupation Japan was the sacred, central role of the Emperor. In fact, this attitude toward the Emperor existed even before
The Tale of the Heike is a collection of tales that depict the livelihood of warriors during the Heian and Kamakura period. These tales illustrate that warriors during this period spent their existence dedicated to their duty to the Buddhist Law and that the growing contention arose from each warrior’s devotion and loyalty to the Buddhist Law.
Tokugawa Japan and the Ming Dynasty are both very similar. For centuries Japan and China have shared their differences through their customs and traditions, but also share commonly a few similarities.They both share a unique history whether it’s technology, uniform or how they constructed their country to what it is today. There will be comparing and contrasting between Tokugawa Japan and the Ming dynasty, which through this essay marking the key topics of government, economy and religion.
The development and evolution of the different sects of Japanese Buddhism such as Zen Buddhism played an important role in the development of classical Japanese culture throughout the four major periods, which was shown in the way that the Nara period, the Heian era, the Kamakura period, and the Edo period were all shaped by the ascent and decline of different Buddhist sects. It is these transitions that make Japanese history a myriad, but fascinating web of interconnecting events that manages to confuse even the most veteran historians. At first, Buddhism was only a pastime of the elite class of landowners and daimyo that held no special significance to the common peoples. It was mainly another way for the central government to gain power and influence among the many local lords that it had to contend with on a regular basis. Although it is to be noted that most of these new converts to Buddhism did not abandon their earlier religions, but instead blended it together with several aspects of Shintoism, the original indigenous religion of Japan(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). This created several amalgamations of the two religions wherever and whenever they met(“Japanese Buddhism”,1). However, as Buddhism was introduced to the general population through the process of hierarchical diffusion, it quickly branched off and evolved from its original form as different sects that shaped contemporary Japanese culture (Kasahara, 302).
Compare And Analysis The Japanese Buddhism And Indo Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded by Siddhartha Gautama in northeast India during the period from the late 6th century to the early 4th century BC. Spreading from India to Central and Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan, Buddhism has played an influential role in the spiritual, cultural, and social life of much of the Eastern world. It is the prevailing religious force in most of Asia (India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet). ‘Buddhism’ is reformulated and re-expressed in different cultures and at different times, adopting and redefining aspects of the cultures in which it has taken root. Today, there are about 300 million followers. (Yamplosky) The Indian religion Buddhism, founded in the sixth century BC, is one of the common features of Asian civilization, and Buddhist institutions and believers are found all over East, South, and Southeast Asia. While Buddhism is now just a minority belief in the country of it’s founding, it remains a significant religious and cultural force in Japan today. Buddhism started in India and made its way to China and Korea. From there, it ended up in Japan. Buddhism went through several different periods before it became Japan's national religion. In indo Buddhism, the temple is the main sanctuary, in which services, both public and private, are performed but Japanese Buddhism is mainly hub of individual activities and services. Similarly to Japanese Buddhism, in Indo Buddhism the monastery is a complex of buildings, located usually in a spot chosen for its beauty and seclusion. Its function is to house the activities of the monks. Images are important features of temples, monasteries, and shrines in both Indo a...
Tsuzuki, Chushichi. The Pursuit of Power in Modern Japan, 1825-1995. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Questia. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
The Tokugawa period, also known as Edo period (1603-1867), was the final period of traditional Japan that lasted for more than 250 years (britannica.com,2013). The period was a time of internal peace, political stability, and economic growth under the Shogunate founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Tokugawa Shoguns maintained strict control over the structure of society by keeping a firm control over what they were allowed to do and what they were not allowed to do.
The Heian period was a peaceful era that is highly regarded in Japan’s history. At this time Japan was beginning to break away from Chinese influence, thus the culture of Japan was morphing into something unique and independent from that of China. An example of resulting change was Japan’s further development of their writing system known as kana, which allowed authors to express their feelings in a more Japanese way. The Japanese court also progressed independently from China and created unique concepts and values such as miyabi “courtliness,” makoto “sincerity,” and aware “sadness of impermanence” (Hooker). The expectations put on men and women in the court during the Heian period must have been concurrent with such values.
The Japanese medieval age consists of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (from approximately 1185 to 1600). During this time, the political power was switching from the imperial family to a militaristic government. In addition, civil wars (from 1156 to 1568) were increasing throughout Japan. This change of centrality in society’s focus from court to warriors shifted the perception and style of Japanese literature.