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Heian period began with the transfer of the capital to Kyoto and came to the end when the Kamakura Shogun ate was established by Yoritomo Minamoto. In early Heian period, Emperor Kanmu had all political power and controled the country. Each emperor after Emperor Kanmu kept the strong political power for a while. However, the peerage started to have a power and content with others for getting higher position in the Imperial Court as time went. Hujiwara Family and Taira family became maternal relative of Emperor in different time. Fujiwara florished in middle of the period and Taira thribed in the late period. Taira family was not one of the peerage but a worrior family and was descendant of Emperor. Taira monopolized the Imperial Court posts and political authority since the Taira became a maternal relative of Emperor Antoku, but other peerage felt an antipathy against Taira because Taira excluded them from their posts. Antipathy against Taira increased and a rebellion caused by Minamoto family resulted in the fall of Taira family. Characteristic of culture in Heian period assimilate and absorb a culture and art from Tang dynasty, and them those were united to native Japanese culture. Life among the peerage seemed gorgeous and luxury, but plots were also surging behind the life. The Heian period lasted about 400 years. The capital was moved from Heijou to Nakgaoka in 784 A.D. However, misfortune was kept occurred around Emperor Kanmu when the capital was in Nagaoka. First, a person, who was in churge of construction of new capital, was killed, and then Emperor's mother and wife passed away in Nagaoka. The Emperor thought it must be an evil consequence; therefore, the capital was moved from Nagaoka to Heian in ten years. The center of politics was in Heian for 400 years, and each emperor had a strong authority to controle the country and people in earlier time. |
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The peerage needed to be very educated, maternal/paternal relatives of an emperor, or excellent in political ability if they want to obtain a higher post in Imperial Court. Therefore, some peerage conspired against other peerage by their struggle for power. For example, Michizane Sugawara was the Minister of Right in old Japan since he was a really good literary man. However, he was wrongly accused by Tokihira Hujiwara and relegated to Dazaihu where was in Kushu island. Michizane pleaded for innocence to Emperor Daigo, but the Emperor did not believe Michizane. Tokihira and other people who accused Mituzane were accursed by Michizane's spilit after he passed away in Dazaihu. Hujiwara established their position in the Imperial Court and occupied a position of senior regent for a while since the Hujiwara family was maternal relative of an Emperor. However, the political power was passes into Taira's, who was descendant of emperor, hand at the late Heian Period. Taira occupied most of Imperial Court posts and controlled the nation. This family also had their daughetrs get married to emperors like Fujiwara family did to their daughetrs for getting advantages. The Taira regarded a foreign trade with Sung Dynasty as important, and the Taira was founded on a profit accrued from the trading. However, the Taira went too far to occupy the posts in Imperial Court, so many peerage were retired from their posts. It trigered a rebellion against Taira and caused the fall of the Taira. Heian period also had a strong emperor's autholity in eralier period and a politics controlled by the peerage in middle and later period like other period usually had. |
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Characteristics of Culture during Heian Period were assimilation and absorption of Chinese culture and developing those by uniting with Japanese culture. Literatuer developed due to use of letters during middle of the period and a music flourished early in the period. Also, new Buddhism sects, which are Tendai-shu and Shingon-shu, were introduced by two monks. An influence of Chinese culture can be seen in a house of the peerage in Heian period. For exsample, connecting between buildings by a passageway in Chinese architecture was used for a mansion of the peerage at the time period, but shape and partition of a house deffered from Chinese building. A main house style in Heian period is called the palace style of Fujiwara period. This house style has a building toward south and has a pond in shouth of the building. Buildings in west, east, and north are linked by holeways and those building are located symmetrically as the main house is center. A painter used Chinese art tequnich to draw Japanese sight, which is called Yamatoe, on a folding screen and a papered sliding door, and those were used in the house. |
| Literature was developed among the perage and women also had an important role to developed it in Heian period. According to a record, Hiragana and Katakana were formed from Kanji. Hiragana was usually used by court lady and Katakana was used by monks. People considered that women shoud not use Kanji, but court lady was asked to have an higher education. Many diaries, poems, stories were written by women in this period. Seisho Nagon, who served one of empress, was superior to Kanji and an intelligent woman. She wrote a diaries about what a life in court and her feeling of seasons. The oldest-long novel was written by Murasaki Shikibu. The title of the novel was " Story of Genji", and this was fiction and story about a court life in Heian period. Not onlyMurasaki Shikibu and Seisho Nagon but also other women are famous for writing diaries in this period. Poem was popular among people since poem was sometimes used to express how people felt about nature or an event; also, the peerage wrote poem as a letter and love letter. ( Murasaki Shikibu had a little tough personality, and her husband apologized to her first when they argued. However, they did not quarrel face to face. They wrote poems to tell how they felt and exchanged them.) Although music instruments were introduced from China and Korea in Nara period, ancient court music, which is called Gagaku, flourished during Heian period. According to a material, the peerage sometimes played music, danced, ate, and drinked with other peerage to be awake for whole night since people believed that an insect in human body makes human life shorter by telling a behavior of owner of the insect to a God when the owner is sleeping at night. Although a party is considered as fan, a reason behind having party gives another view of opinion about the party. However, the peerage did not worry about anything and could sleep if they did nothing wrong. |
.Formation of Japanese Alphabet
Three Japanese alphabet are used in Japan. Each alphabet is called Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Kanji was introduced by people from ancient Chinese Dynasty with inroduction of cultivation of rice and tool making technique. People in upper social level used the chractor for diplomacy, keeping record, and studying literature from other countries. Majority of those people who could write and read were men. However, every Kanji is not from China becasue some of charactors were created by people in ancient Japan. Hiragana and Katakana were created in Heian perid. Hiragana was developed from Kanji. Hiragana was usually used by women. Katakana is much simplifed Kanji. This charactore was created by monk to read sutra from China.
Tanka (31-syllable Japanese poem)
Many poems from Heian period can be seen on books and a card game becasue people wrote his or her expression in the poem. These poems are called "Tanka" which is composed by 31-syllable. The syllables are devided into 5 7 5 7 7. The "57577" is kind of formula for Tanka. Tanka was popullar among people from every social class, but especially the peerage and priests in Heian period wrote many tanka in their life. Priests used to wrote about nature, life, and the world. The peerage wrote their feeling about the world, themselve, love, life, and nature. It was common to the peerage to play with tanka and exchange tanka as a letter. Tanka sometimes became letter and love letters. However, he or she did use circumlocution to express his or her feeling.
However, everyone was not always good at with creating tanka. Therefore, people, who could wrote a good tanka , earned his or her place in history. Tanka is still practiced by many people in present time, but it is neither letter or love letter. People enjoy Tanka as a hobby.
Gagaku
Continental musics were introduced to Japan from dynasties in China and Korea between 1400 and 1600 yeas ago. Prince Shotoku lived in Asuka period was devoted to Buddhism and started to declare Buddhism with music. Therefore, Japanese ancient cort music has a strong relationship with temples in Japan. However, the continental musics were not called Gagaku yet because those were brought to Japan as those were in China and Korea. Also, there were ancient music from other countries in Asian continent. Those musics were developed by Japanese after a Japanese ebvoy to Tang Dynasty in China was over, and the music was called Gagaku.
It has been about 1200 years since people started play Gagaku, which was an ancient court music in Japan. It is a piece of music that people in Heian period composed it by mixing introduced musics and dance from ancient China and Korea and Japanese original ancient dance and music. Gagaku can be devided into two componets. One is music with dance, which is called Bugaku. Another one is only music, which is called Kangen. There is also a few ways to dance and play music. There are Uho and Saho. Those have a different style of dance, music instruments, and music rhythm, and those imply an influence of country on each Uhou and Sahou.
The royal family and the peerage started to learn the ancient cout music as time went. Therefore the music was popular in Heian period as a court music. The ancient cort music also played in shrine since every emperor believes Shinto, which was original religion in Japan. A dance for worship to gods called Kagura is considered as one of Bugaku.
Gagaku was used to be played by a certain kind of people such as family. The ancient court music is played only in traditional events or for music concert at present time. However, some people started to have a class to teach the ancient court music to ohter people since it is one of Japanese culture that people want to keep. This is really good thing since there are many people who are interested in Gagaku and those people can learn how to play instroments.
Representative music instroments for Gagaku are Sho, Hichiriki, and Oteki. Those are wind instruments. A musical score is not like "do re mi.....". Some of note are written in Kanji and some of others' are written in Katakana. There are also stringed insturuments and percussion instruments. Gagaku music and other music in Japan have no musical condactors. Therefore, Kakko, whichi is one of percussion instruments, player is role as music conductor and in charge of tempo in Gagaku.
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Life of Peerage in Heian Period The peerage usually lived in houses which were the palace style of Fujiwara period. Twelve-layered ceremonial robe was worn by court lady and peeress. This ceremonial robe weigh about 44lbs or more; therefore, those women had a hard time to walk. According to an instructor, who teaches how to wear the ceremonial robe, said those women often walked by knee when they move inside of a room and sat down on the floor with drawing their either side of knee. Men wore Sokutai as their formal clothes. Those clothes were based on clothes in Tang Dynasty, but people changed much part of the design. The peerage did not always wear those clothes in their daily life. Aristocratic ladies and court ladies ordinary clothes were Uchiki, which dress was a few-layerd robe, and peers' usual clothes were Noshi or Kariginu. The color of those clothes were considered as important, so people select appropriate color for each occasion and in each season. |
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