Heian jidai　平安時代

KEY WORD :　art history / general terms

The Heian period (794-1185), during which Heiankyou 平安京 (later, Kyoto) became the political and cultural capital of Japan. The period is divided into Early ; *Kounin-Jougan jidai 弘仁貞観時代 or simply Jougan jidai 貞観時代 (794-894), Middle ; *Fujiwara jidai 藤原時代 (894-1086) and Late ; Insei (Cloistered Rule) jidai 院政時代 (1086-1185). Early Heian culture was still under the influence of the Chinese Tang dynasty, but in 894 imperially sponsored embassies to China were abolished because it was thought that the Tang dynasty would soon be overthrown and a new, Japanese culture *kokufuu bunka 国風文化 began to develop. The end of the period is almost universally placed at 1185, the year in which the Minamoto 源 shogunate was established in Kamakura 鎌倉. During the early part of the Heian period, two new sects of esoteric Buddhism were introduced from China to Japan: these were the Tendai 天台 which focused on *Shaka 釈迦 (the historical Buddha) at the center of devotion, and Shingon 真言 which worshipped Vairocana (Birushana 毘盧遮那) the Buddha of Essence. Both sects established temples in the mountains, adapting their building arrangements to suit the environment. Murouji 室生寺 in Nara, is the only esoteric temple from this time that remains untouched by fire. The images worshipped at these isolated temples were provincial variations of urban prototypes. They were made by local workers, sometimes the monks themselves, and were carved out of single tree trunks, a style that seems traceable to the Kushan Indian and the Gandaharan style. A good example is the *Yakushi 薬師 (9c) at Jingoji 神護寺 in Kyoto. Shingon also brought with it a pantheon of deities inspired by Indian Hindu gods. These images had multiple arms and heads and fierce countenances to indicate their intensity of purpose. Both sculpted and painted mandalas, or cosmic graphs were used to focus believers' meditation. See *mandara 曼荼羅. A life-sized sculptural mandara is set on a large altar in the Lecture Hall *Koudou 講堂 of Touji 東寺 (Kyouougokokuji 教王護国寺) in Kyoto, and the famous painted *Ryoukai mandara 両界曼荼羅 (Two World Mandara ) also belongs to this temple. The middle part of the Heian period was dominated by the Fujiwara family who inspired exquisitely elegant art forms. Pure Land Buddhism joudokyou 浄土教, based on the worship of *Amida 阿弥陀 and rebirth into the Western Paradise saihou joudo 西方浄土, became popular with the court and, in time, the common people as well. Byoudouin Hououdou 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053) in Kyoto is an example of an aristocratic residence complete with temple, garden and pond that was constructed in order to replicate in this world, the Western Paradise in all its splendor. Literature flourished under the Fujiwara with the creation of such notable works as GENJI MONOGATARI 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji) written around 1000 CE by a noblewoman of the court, Murasaki Shikibu 紫式部, and KAGEROU NIKKI 蜻蛉日記 (Gossamer Years), written by the mother of Fujiwara no Michitsuna, Fujiwara no Michitsuna no haha 藤原道綱母 (977), and with the development of the thirty one syllable poem waka 和歌. The late Heian period, characterized by the rule of cloistered, retired emperors insei 院政, was even more opulent than the middle period, as the imperial family spent lavishly on the new clan temples and secular projects such as the creation of one hundred paintings illustrating excerpts from GENJI MONOGATARI (see *genji-e 源氏絵) and poems of the thirty-six poets, the SANJUUROKUNIN SHUU 三十六人集, on scrolls of gorgeous colored papers with gold and silver decorations. The elaborate and beautiful HEIKE NOUKYOU 平家納経 (Sutras Dedicated by the Heike) were also produced during this period. Finally, the lengthy peace and prosperity of the era was broken by conflicts over competition for power between the Minamoto (Genji 源氏) and Taira 平 (Heike 平家) clans.

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