Download - Heian Chapter 21
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 1/11
Heian-kyo:The Heart ofJapan's Golden Age21.1 lntroduct ion
In Chapter 0.you lcarned hutothcrAsiancultLrresnl'lucncc'dlpln. No* you'll
scr ' l tuu uniquclv apancseulturc loucrct l ronr hc 9th o thc l l th centur ics.
As 1ouhavc carncd. apan s closc'cnough() lr ' nlainland l Asi a to be aflcctcd
b1cul turu ldeus iont theconl incnt . l thcsanc inre. hcwutcrs cparatingapanlronr hc nrainllndhclpcdprotcct hc Japanc'scl)nl conqLrcstv othelAsianpct>
plcs.As a rcsult. apan enraincd oliticll lv intlepentlentndhatl hc chilnce o
dn clon tsoun c i . " i l izat ion.
Forn losto l the l lh century .hcc i ty ol Nlra $as Japan'snrpcr iul lp i l i r l . )uf in-s
this imc.contucts ith Chinr broughtnranvnr. \culturll idcu\k) Jlp n. Then. n 79-1.
the rnpcror antnru rovcd hccapital o Hci ln-k1o. r(r 'o rrclns i t \ in J lpuncs ' .)
This rcnt nrarkshc st r t ol lhe Heian per iod, r ihieh astcd rnt i l l l t5 .
Thc Hcianpcr iod s ot icncul lcd lpun'sGolden Age. [)ur in-ul ] is in lc .
aristoentscd a grcat lourishing l Japunescultulc. 'hc'lristocllts prircd bc uty.
elccancc.ndeorrcctntiulncrs.Orer inrc. hcl de'r'clopcde*
formsol litcraturc nd art. Pocts
$rotcdc l ic te lyabout cel ings
and he l'a-sile c uticsof naturc
Courtwon.rcn omposed ia ries
andothcI vpeso1' onfiction.
Paintc'rsntlscr.rlplorsnvented
ncwstvlcs f lt. Perli)nners
enlerlaincdhc court u ith ne\\
k ind: r l r r rur ie.lurrec.nddnrrrr l .
Thcbr i l l iant u l ture ) l-he
Hcian cr io t l t i l l in l lucnccs
Jrprncscrr l l rd i lc tr rd;r1.rr his
chapter,or.lwill lcarnnrore bout
Japan's oldcnAgc. You'll look
athou Hciurt r ist( ,cr i l t \i rcd und
how hcycrcltcd new kindso1 '
Japancserrtand iterutur .
Hcian-k1'o: hc Heartol Japan'sGoldcnAgc 129
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 2/11
Phoenix allwasoncepartof a
grandemple earHeian-kyo.
coriuption dishonestr llegal
practices,speciallynvolving
m0ney
230 Chapter l
21.2 A New CapitalDuring he 8th century,heBuddhist
priests f Naragained greatdealof influ-
enceover heJapaneseourt. n 784, he
emperorKammudecidedo movehis capi-
tal away rom Nara, n panbecause e
thoughthepriests' owerwasdamagingto thegovemment.he emperor lsowant-
ed a larger, rander ity for his capital.
The irst siteKammuchosewas
Nagaoka. bout30miles rom Nara.But
the movewas roubled romearlyon.As
money ouredn to build henewcity,
rumorsof corruption flew. People aid
the andhadbeenacquiredhrougha deal
with a rich Chineseamily.The sitealso
seemedo be unlucky, ecausehe emper-or's family suffered llnessesat this time. ln 794, the emperor stopped
work on the city. Once again he ordered hat the capital be moved.
This time Kammuchose villageon t he Yodo River.The sitewa s
both lovelier than Nagaokaandeasier o protectfrom attacks.Kammu
began uildinga newcity he calledHeian-kyo, The Capitalof Peace
andTranquility."
Heian-kyo became he first truly Japanese ity. Today t is called
Kyoto. Like Nara,Heian-kyowas laid out in a checkerboard attern
like the Chinese ity of Chan g'an.Built on a grandscale, he walled
city was lovely and elegant. t was set n forestedhills, amid streams,waterfalls,and lakes. t had wide, tree-linedstreets.Shrinesand tem-
plesblendedwith the area's atural eauty.
Heian-kyo's crisscrossing treetswere modeledafter thoseof
Chang'an, ut the city's architecture asJapanese.n the center f the
city werepalacesandgovemmentoffices.WealthyHeian families lived
in mansionssurroundedby beautiful gardenswith artificial lakes.The
groundsof each home covered hree o four acresand wereenclosed
by a white stonewall.
Inside the mansions, arge rooms weredivided by screens r curtains
and connectedwith open-aircoveredhallways.Simplicity wasconsid-ered beautiful, so there were few objectson the wood floors other han
straw mats and cushions.The Jananese id not usechairs.
Daily life was very formal, and conect mannerswere extremely
important. For example,a Heian lady sat behind a portablescreen. he
screenhid her from view while she alked and took part in life around
the house.An unmarried ady would permit her suitor to seepast he
screenonly after a romancehad becomeserious.
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 3/11
21.3The Rise of the Fujiwara FamilyDuring much of the Heianperiod,aristocratswere hepolitical and
cultural eaden of Japan.By themid-9thcentury, herealpower n the
imperialcourtshifted from theemperor o aristocratic amilies. The
most mportantof thesenoble families were he Fujiwara, who con-
trolled Japan or nearly 300yean.
The Fujiwara were neveractually rulers.The Japanese elieved hattheemperor's amily was descendedrom Japan's ungoddess. his
gave he royal family a special ight to govern.But the Fujiwarahad
otherwaysof exercisingpower.
First,beginningn 858, he Fujiwaramaniedmanyof theiryoung
daughtersnto theroyal family. Theyalsomadesure hat sonsof
Fujiwara oyal wives were chosen o be emperors.Second,he Fujiwara
acted s advisors o the emperor. n reality they had morepower han
the ulers heyguided.They often coaxedolder emperors o retire so
thata child or youthcould take he throne.Then he Fujiwara ruledas
regentsn theyoungemperor'sname.The most successful ujiwara eaderwasFujiwara Michinaga,who
ledJapan rom 995 to 1028.He neverhad an offrcial role in thegov-
emment. owever,his smart, mbitiousmanhad he espect f all
amund im. He was he father-inlaw of four emperors nd hegrand-
fatherof threemore. He lived in greatwealthand uxury.Michinaga
righdysaid, This world, I think, is indeedmy world."
Michinaga d one of the best-known eoplen Japan's istory.During
bis ime n power, he Fujiwara amily became ven icher.They built
polaces,ansions,nd emples. fterMichinaga's eath, issonbuilt a
hmousemple hatcame o be calledPhoenixHall. It likely eamed his Fujiwara ichinaga,neotthemostorme ecauset wasshapedike a bird n flight.Partof the emple till powerfuleaders uring apan
strndsodayasabeautiful cminder f Japan'sGoldenAge. Gold€n ge,wasverywoatthy.n his
TheFujiwara amily used heirpower o betler heirown ives. pag6rom hediary f LadyMurasaki,
llowever,heyalsokeptpeacen Japan or nearly hree enturies. his Michinagas ontertainedyboats n
lracehelped apaneseultureblossom uring he Heianperiod. a arge ond thishome.
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 4/11
Noble omenn higheranks ad
servantso help hemwith heirper-
sonal eedsrommorningo night.
21.4 Social Position in the Heian GourtRankwas highly important during the Heian period.A person's ank
wasdeterminedalmostcompletely by what family he or she came rom.
Being born into a high-ranking amily matteredmore than personal
qualities r skills.
There were nine main ranks n the Heian court hierarchy.High coun
nobles illed the top threeranks.Thesenobles were appointedby the
emperor,and they dealt directly with him. Less mportant officials filled
the fourth and fifih ranks. Nobles n all these anks receivedprofits
from rice farms throughout he countryside.They also receivedmoney
from taxespaid by peasantarmers.The sixth through the ninth ranks
were filled by minor officials, clerks, and experts n suchfields as aw
and medicine.
The nine main ranks weredivided into classes uch as senior and
junior. upperand ower. In all, there were some 30 subranks.Each rank
brought with it specificprivilegesand detailed ules aboutconduct.
Membersof difl'erent anks haddifferent types of housesand carriagesRankdetermined he number of servantspeoplehad and even the num-
ber of tblds in the fans they carried. Men of the first, second,andthird
ranks carried answith 25 folds. Men of the fourth and fifth ranks used
fanswith 23 folds. The l'ansof those n lower ranks had l2 folds.
This precise anking systemalso determinedsuch mattersas what
color clothing a noble could wearand the height of the gatepost n front
of hi s family's home. n addition, f a personwas oundguilty of a
crime. rank determinedhow harsh he sentencewould be.
232 Chapter2l
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 5/11
21.5 Beauty andFashion During theHeian Period
Heiansocietyprizedbcauty.
elcgance. nd irshion. o bc
described s r'oli good).peoplc
hadkr come iom an mponantfamrly. hey alsohadrc kn k
niceand be sensitiveo beauty r
nature. oetry. nd art. Individuars
wereudgedby how lood their
tlsle was.The ability o reco_gnize
beauty asvalued lcr quul i t ies
likcgenerosity nd honcsty.
Both menandwonrengroouted
thenrselvesith gleatcare.Small.
poinlcd eardswcrc consideredattractivc n nrale ourtiers.
Forwornen.onghair u as an
impo111|1cduly ci | lurc. dcul l) .
a wontan's air woLrld rou
longcrhansheuas al l .
ThcJupunesel lhis ir rc crrn-
sidered hite eethun ttrrc(ive.
sobothnrenand wollrclr arelirlly
blackenedheir ecth.Thcy used
a dycmade ionr iron nd othcringredientsoaked n lcu or vin-
egar. ow one sntellcdwasalsovery signilleant. o both rnel and
womcnwore scents. erllntc conrpelilions crc frcquent nd popular.
Peopleuardedheirscent ccipes arclllly.
Forwonten. rakeup vasalso nrpollarrt.Vomenuscdwhite ace
po\r'dero make hemsclvcsook r er1. alc.Ovcr hc chalkypowder.
Heiun omanput k)uclres f red on h 'r chccks. hcn shcpainted n
a small edmouth.Shealsopluckedout hcr ('vcbro$ andpainted n
a sel n.iust he righ( spoton her irrchcad.
A woman's lothingneededo be bcaLrtilul. n arislocratic omanmightwearas manyas l2 silk undcr-robc.st a timc. Whcnshe ode n
a caniage. hemightdilnglca \\ r ist so hittpcoplccoultl see he ovely
layersf colored ilk.
The oveof beautyalsoshowed n Hciln alchirectLrre.alligraph.
poetry.ndafiwork.Concernwith ti) |nr und bctuty wassosreat ha t
couniersometintes crlirrnrc'dtylircdditnecs splrt ol theirothcial
duties.
Long air, yebrowsainted igh
on he orehead,ndbr ighted ips
were i gns l beauty ur inghe
Heian er iod.
courti€r a memberfa ruler's
c0un
of Japan'sGoldenAge 233cian-kyo: hc Hcart
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 6/11
Noblemen,ressedn silk obes nd
courthats,enjoya gameof ,temazl
Theobject f hegamewas o keep
theball n heairas ongaspossible
21.6 Entertainment at the Heian CourtHeian-kyo's ristocratsadplentyof leisureime or sporting vents,
games, ndcontests. en enjoyedwatching orse aces, rchery on-
tests, ndsumowrestling.n sumowrestling, oungmenof great
weight ry to throweachother o thegroundor out of the ring. When
the weatherwaswarm,menandwomenalikeenjoyedwatching oat
races long he river hat an hrough he city.
Groups f courtiers layed gamecalled emai, in which heykickeda leather all backand onh, keepingt in the air for as ong
aspossible. heyplayedn the same legant obes heyworeat court.
Women sed he stone ieces f thepopular oardgamego to play
agame alled ango.Theobjectwas o balance smanystones s
possible n one inger.
Eachof the many estivals ndcelebrationsn the Heiancalendar
had ts own customs.Many nvolved ontestshat ested thletic, oet-
ic, or artistic kill. For example,n the Festival f the Snake, upsof
wine were loated n a stream.Guestsooka cup anddrank rom t.
Then heyhad o think up and eciteapoem.Otherspecial ays ea-turedcontestshat udged hebesGdecoratedans, he most ragrant
perfumes,he oveliest rtwork, r the mostgraceful ancing.
Dancingwasan mportant kill for Heian-kyo's obles, ince ance
waspartof nearlyeveryfestival.Bugakuprtormances wereapopular
form of entertainment.ugaku ombined ancewith musicanddrama
Bugaku ancers oremasks ndacted uta simplestoryusingmemo
rizedmovements.
234 Chapter l
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 7/11
21.7 Sculpture and PaintingDuring the Heian Period
During he Heianperiod.artists ontinued o be ntluenced y
Chinese rt.Gradually. owever. culptors nd painters rcated
theiror,l'n aoanesetvles.
Early Heiansculptors ommonlymudean entirework tiom
onepieceof wood.Latcr n thisperiod.sculptorsmadcstatues y carvingseparate ieccs ronr carcfullyselected
woodand hen oining them.With the help of assistants.
sculptors ould nrake he separate arts n largequ ntities.
As a result. heycould create groupof sinrilar tatucs
quicklyandprecisely. ocho.an anistwho worked ir r
FujiwaraMichinaga. robablydevelopcdhis echnique.
Jochomadeperhapshe greatest asterpiece f Hcian
sculpture.heAmida Buddha. his Buddha. The Lord of
Boundless ight." was hc subiect f muchpopulrr worship n
Japan. ocho's eautifully arved tatuc xpresses sense fdeeppeace nd strcngth.
In painting.Hci n arlists onsci ouslldercloped Japanr.'se
style, o distinguisht tiom Chinese-stylert. heycalled t
lortuto-e,or "Japaneseainting.'Painters rcu theirscencs
with hin inesand hen i l lcd hcm n with br ight olors.
Linesu'erenade quickly to suggest novemcnt.n a
restful cenc. ines \eredru*n moredcliberately.
At tlrst afi istsused he ne$'stvle o paint
Buddhrst ubjects. ut ovcr tinrc hey i)cused
on nonreligious cenes. hereuere lirur maintypes f yanrato-c:andscapeshowing he
fourseasons.laces f natural cauty. eoplc
doingseasonalasks. ndscenesronr iter-
ature called story paintings".
The new style. f paintingwas used o
decorate alls.screens. nd hc slidingdoors
of houses nd enrple s. omeof the ntost
famous xamples f yanlato-e. owever. re
scrollpaintings. scrollpaintingshowsa
series f scenesion right to leii. so hatvie\r'-
ersseeevenls n tinreorderas hey unroll hc
scroll.Scrollpaintinghad been nvenlcd n
China. ut Heianpainters dded heirown
distinctiveouches. or example. hey ofien
showed cenesnsidebuildings iom above.
as f theviewerwcrepeering houghan
invisibleoof.
This tatues
made f o ined
pieces fwood.
Thepegat he
shoulderould
have it nto he
arm iece.
Heian-kyo: he Heartol'Japan'sGoldenAge 235
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 8/11
imagcty dsscriptivor magina-
tivs angusgs,spociallyhon
usedo nspirementalpictures"
Murasakihikibu,hown ere
atherdssk, as lsading rit€r
duringhsHeiansriod.hewrote
TheTale l theGenji, ften alledhe
world'sirstnovel.
236 Chapter l
21.8 Writing and LiteratureDuring the Heian Period
Writing was he mostvaluedorm of expressionn HeianJapan.
Everyone asexpectedo showskill in usingwordswell. Early Heian
writers omposed rtfulpoemsn Chinese. s timewenton, distinctly
Japanese aysof writingdeveloped, oth n daily ife and n thecre-
ationof worksof literature.Writing in Dally Life Poetrywaspartof daily ife in Heian-
kyo.Peoplewereexpectedo makeuppoetry n public. f they could
not hink up a few clever ines o fit an occasion, thers oticedhe
failure.Men andwomen arefullycreated oemso charmeachother.
Whensomeone eceiveda poem rom a friend, family member,or
acquaintance,eor shewasexpectedo write a response.he reply ^poemwassupposedo have he same tyle,mood,and magery as
the original.
In the astchapter, ou leamedhow theJapanese sedkana o write
the syllables f their anguage ith simplifiedChinese haracters.nHeian imes, herewere wo waysof writingsyllables,much ike two
separatelphabets. ne, atakana, asmore ormal.Menused ata-
kanawhen heywroteanything mportant. he secondway of writing
syllableswas tiragana.Charactersn hiragana re ormedwith simple
strokeshatmakewriting and eading asier nd aster.Hiraganawas
mostlyseen s women'swriting."Courtwomen avored
hiraganaor personal riting,andsome f themused t to
createastingworksof literature.Over ime,hiragana
took its placealongside atakana spart of Japan's
written anguage.
Heianwriters ook care o presentheir
work in a beautifulmanner.Calli-
graphyskills were as mportantas
the ability to createpoetry.People
believed hathandwriting evealedheir
characterandgoodness ener han he
words hey used.Calligraphy wasoftcn
displayedon colorful, handmade aper.
Sometimeshepaperwas evenperfumed.
Women Become Japant
Leading W?itera The emale om-
panionso thecourtiers f Heian-kyowere
usually electedor their ntelligence.hey
often took a great nterest n literature.Asa
result,women ed he loweringof agolden
ageof Japaneseiteraturen the l0th and lth .
centunes.
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 9/11
/
wzai
d
l . ' t
. ) :
I
,
t
, , t )
l l i .L: r [ , , , l l , l ] . .Lrt \ ,1 T.r l \ .1r . (, , , .1. 'r \ r.
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 10/11
Thewealthyoblssuringh€Heian
psriodgnoredheproblemstpoor
peoplenJspan's
uralreas.
21.9The End of the Heian PeriodThe Heianperiod s knownas Japan'sGoldenAge of peace.But
despite heglittering imperialcourt,problemswerebrewing thatwould
bring an end to the Heianperiod.
Aristocratsn Heian-kyo ived very well, but in Japan'sural areas
rnostpeoplewerequite poor.Thepeasants'arming and other work
supportedHeian-kyo's ich. Even so, the wealthy ooked down on thepoorand gnored heirproblems.
While therich focusedon culture n Heian-kyo,eventsn thecoun-
tryside began o weaken he Heian court. Thepracticeof giving large
estateso top noblesslowly reduced he emperors'power.Thosewho
owned heseestates aidno axes.After a time, tax-free and wasquite
common.Thegovemment ould no longer collect enough axes o
support heemperor.
Japan's ulers began o lose control. Bandits oamed he countryside,
Peopleof differentreligionsbegan o band ogether o attackandmb
eachother.Thegovemmentwas now too weak o supply aw enforce-ment. Estateownerscreated heir own policeand armies o protect heir
lands.Theprofits fron landowners'estateswent to payingthe warriors
insteadof supporting he emperor.
By the 12thcentury thepowerof some ocal lords rivaled that of
theweakenedmperialgovemment.Fighting broke out over control of
the and. Meanwhile,variousclans struggled or power n the capital.
By 1180, herewascivil war n Japan.
In I 185,Minamoto Yoritomo, he headof a military familn seized
power.A new era began n which military leaders ontrolled Japan,
You will read more about his era n the next chapter.
8/13/2019 Heian Chapter 21
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/heian-chapter-21 11/11
21.1OTheEffect of the Heian Per iod
on JapanToday. \s rou l l r rc lcut r tcr l . l te l lc i r i r tpcr iod \ l r \ \ l l le l ) i l l l l r r l r t Lt t t i t l t tel r
. l rprrr te 'c u l l t t lc l l te r ' l leet : r r l t l t i . l l t r r re l i r tgt r l c t t l t t t t t l r rc r t i l l l t ' l t
to t l i [ . ln l l ret . l ]u l r i ) l . l i r l ) i l r t et t l l l t teh. i t tc t l la i r tct l l t l l lec() l l \ t i l l l l
\ lnec l lc Hci i l l ] I tcr i , ' t l . l l i ' . . i l l hc \cL ' l l l l ( ) \ t e lc i t r l \ t t l . l l t I i t t t'
l i te[ r lutc i t l , l , l t . t t tLt.
l le i iur lLLt th, , t ' t t l l t tet r rer l t tr t t
l i l lc f . l l r l ) i tnc\c \\ r ' r t ( . / / r i / ( l / ( r/ /
( i r ' r r1 lbr \ lu l t ' l rL i Sl t iL i l t t r r r r t t l
l ' , t t , \ 11, , , 'L)\ \ r . i \ l t , ' . r . : , ' , r t . '
c l l r r r ic . . l hcr it re lt : h l t ' ie lo . l i t l t l t t t
. t \ Sh.rkc\PClt lC \ \ ()fk\ l l le l ( )
I inr l i .h.pci i ler ' . .
' I - l te.treec.. ( ,1 l l ( 'e
\ r f i lc l \ l l i ld
rr nt l r jLuel lcct ott . lr tp.t t t'
* t t l lc t t
l l r r r r tLr . r - lc .ha . l i r I lne\e I )e() l ) lal ' .1. r \ \ \n lL \ \ i l l r l l r r ' . . l | | lL ( l l . r l . l ( -
tcr ' ' t t :ec i r l lu l r t l t r4 Oot i i .
l l c i . rn n l lucnacei t r t t lsohc:cct t
in nrrr r lcrr t r tct t r I l re l l ( ) t1l ) ( )c l l l \
. l l le l , r / l l . , / \e l ] . \er \ | r ) l ) t l l l l r l l
l lcrun inrc ' . - l - iu tk i r( 'e t t \ i . \ t i l l . l
.a '
.{.r
*l
a
I
Noh the. r ter a c asslcormof
Japanese rama nvolv g herotc
thenres, chorus, nddance
. l
r\-:\ i l ' , r . l l t ll r . l r l r r l . l l rP l t t t r ' rc t lc l l l t l l lc t ( )di l \ .
\ lor lc tn . l . i ] l tne:e r l t . t t t l i l t ls t r \ l l ( ) \ \ \ l lc i i l l l i t l l l t te l lecs. \s r ot t l l l . l r
tculr l l . hc busaLt t pet I i ' t t t l t t tecs ol l lc iat t l i l l lc r blet l t lc t l dat lcc l t t l r l
, . l lu l i r . lSugltkr t c t l lo. l i tPt t t t . t t t l i t l t lc t l r )h t l r { r ; r l { r r . lt t Nrth thl t t l l . , . .. r ultrrt t tss inls l i l rc toie slotr lts I rcr l i l t tnels t l i l t l tc l t t l , . l l r l i1 (Jt l1 \()h
thr l ler i \ c 'n1unc\ olr l hrr t i t i . r t i l l r i Populul l ( ) l l l l o l cr l (er l l r l l l r r lenl
tn. l . t l ) l t t l
21.11GhapterSummaryln thischapter. ou earncd bout he GoldenAge ol Japa ncse
culture. uring hc Hcianp 'riod.aristocrals----cspeciallyhe
Fujirvaraarnily rlontinatcdhe rnperial ourt.Tllcy crcated
acul lurehatwasuniqLtc ly 'apanese.
Thearistocrats l Hcian-kvo ived n grett Iuxurl'.They prizedbeautl. le-t:rncc.ntlcorrcct lltnners.Heianartists raatcd ew
Japancsebrns ol scLrlptLtrendpuintinl.C()ttn$otllcll \\ rote
classicurks ol Japlt ncscit 'rJture.
TheHeianpcriodcntlctl n ciril rvarand he riseol ncu nilitarl
Ieadcrs.n the ncxt chlptr'r.vou $ill learnhou thcse eildcrs reated
awarr ior ulturen Japnn.
I l r : i l ) , r r l r r ( l s f r r0l l r r r , rs t r . r l l r i l
:L rr r r t r \ ) r ' I i r t l I r ie i l i 6f | i
l . l , .Lrr( i , , l t l r r \ ' - , l l ' r