Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Heian is Japan's classical age, when court power was at its zenith and aristocratic culture flourished. Understandably, it has long been assiduously studied by historians. The Heian period is the longest of the accepted divisions of Japanese history, covering almost exactly 400 years. Its dates seem obvious: “The Heian period opened in 794 with the building of a new capital, Heian-kyō, later known as Kyoto. … The Heian period closed in 1185 when the struggle for hegemony among the warrior families resulted in the victory of Minamoto no Yoritomo and most political initiatives devolved into his hands at his headquarters at Kamakura.’ Although the establishment of a new capital would seem irrefutable evidence of the start of a new “period,” some argue that the move of the capital from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 better marks the beginning of the era. Indeed, some even consider the accession of Emperor Kammu in 781 a better starting date. Heian gives way to the next period, the Kamakura era, at the end of the twelfth century and the conclusion of the Gempei War. The end dates are even more contested and include (1) 1180 and Taira no Kiyomori's forced move of the capital to Fukuhara; (2) 1183 and the flight of the Taira from the capital; (3) 1185, the end of the war and Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa's confirmation of Minamoto no Yoritomo's right to appoint shugo and jitō; or (4) 1192 and ... log in or subscribe to read full text