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The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese
history that runs from 794 to 1185 AD. The Heian period is considered the
peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art and especially in
poetry and literature. The name heian is a word that means "peace" in
Japanese.
The Heian period is preceded by the Nara period and began in 794 after
the movement of the capital of Japanese civilization to Kyoto by the 50th
emperor Kammu. It is considered a high point in Japanese culture that later
generations have always admired. Also, the time period is also noted for the
rise of the samurai which would eventually usurp the power of the emperor
and start the feudal period of Japan. The Kamakura period began in 1185 when
Minamoto no Yoritomo seized power from the emperors and established a
bakufu, the Kamakura Shogunate, in Kamakura.
This period saw the flowering of the Shingon school of esoteric
Buddhism, founded by Kukai, as well as the Jodo Shinshu, or True Pure Land,
school, founded by Shinran. Although written Chinese remained the official language of the Heian
period imperial court, the introduction and wide use of kana saw a boom in
Japanese literature. Despite the establishment of several new literary genre
such as the novel and narrative monogatari (物語) and essays, literacy was
only common among the court and Buddhist clergy.
The lyrics of the modern Japanese national anthem, "Kimi Ga Yo," were
written in the Heian period, as was The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu,
accounted by many as the first novel. Murasaki Shikibu's contemporary and
rival Sei Shonagon's revealing observations and musings as an attendant in
the Empress' court were recorded collectively as The Pillow Book in the
990s. The famous Japanese poem known as the iroha was also written during
the Heian period.
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