CHAPTER FOUR - THE HEIAN ERA
Japan made a break with China by the early 800's. This was
evident with the ending of diplomatic relations and the founding of a new
capital city Heian (modern day Kyoto.)
This city remained the imperial center for the next several centuries. Heian is also the name given to the developmental
period in Japan
between 800 - 1200 CE. During the Heian era, Japan went through a very important transitional
period - moving away from strong links to the Asian mainland, modifying those
elements that were borrowed from Korea
and China,
and reasserting fundamental Japanese traditions. The result was a
prolific and creative period of Japanese culture in areas of literature, the
arts and cultural rituals, for example Japanese Buddhism continued to
evolve. In the political sphere, the attempt by Yamato leaders to create
a truly unified state failed; Japan
reverted to its traditional pattern of local/regional leadership and the
dominance of a military based aristocracy. The Japanese imperial family would
have to be content with a symbolic/spiritual importance, but not direct rule
over the Japanese people.
JAPANESE CULTURE
As the Japanese elite
turned away from the mainland, and China in particular, there was an
emphasis on recovering or emphasizing a Japanese focus in the cultural
realm. First and foremost, the Chinese character system, which was always an
awkward fit for the Japanese spoken language, was modified and a second written
language emerged (kana)
that reflected the Japanese spoken word. Japan
created its own written system centuries before Korea made a similar break with the
Chinese system. (see
description)
By having the written
language finally mirror the spoken language, Japanese creativity in literature
was unleashed. Japanese writers broke away from the literary structures and
modes of expression established by China
that had been loyally followed during the Nara
period. With the power of the written word, and their own voice possible,
Japanese authors pursued native styles and patterns in literary
expression, for example in the areas of poetry
and story telling. Japanese culture during the Heian
era is credited with creating the literary form of the novel - something
very distinct from Chinese literature and unique in the world at this time. Two
of the most famous Japanese novels are Tale of Genji by an aristocratic
women named Murasaki Shikibu
(978-1016) and Pillow Book
by Sei Shonagon. These
were both written by members of the aristocratic class and reflect a very
intimate and personal view of Japanese elite concerns and human
relations. This was a distinctive literary voice - not beholden to
Chinese patterns.
In the realm of religion,
Buddhism continued to spread and thrive in Japan. In fact Buddhist monasteries
grew into powerful land-owning centers. However, during the Heian
era, Shinto made a come back. In fact the term Shinto, and the
formalization of earlier animistic beliefs, took place during the Heian era as traditionalists in Japan attempted to protect and
preserve native religious traditions by creating a more structured, orthodox
form of Japanese religious beliefs. "State Shinto" emerged - in
which important principles of Shinto finally took written form and the
connection between the emperor and Amaterasu was reaffirmed.
"THE
WAY"
An interesting and defining
movement in Japanese culture during and after the Heian
era was the development of ritualized practices in cultural and military
pursuits. These practices reflected the blending that had taken place in
Japanese civilization, based in part on Japanese traditions in social relations
and their deep connection to nature. However, they also mirrored the impact of
Chinese influences such as writing, Buddhism, Daoism and the Confucian emphasis
on ritual. These practices are all referred to as "THE WAY."
These
traditions established rituals that had to be followed carefully and
accurately. Some examples were Kado
(The Way of Flower Arranging), Sado
(The Way of Tea), and Shodo
(The Way of Calligraphy.) In the area of drama, highly dramatic and ritualized theater of Noh and Kabuki also
emerged. Again, these are very distinctive products of this cultural melding
between Japan
and the Asian mainland. In sum, as a result of the cross-fertilization of
Japanese and Asian mainland cultures, Japan emerged from the Heian era with a rich cultural and creative tradition in
the arts.
POLITICAL
DIVISION
One of the most important areas
where Japanese traditions reasserted themselves was in the political realm.
While the spiritual importance of the emperor was reinforced through the
beliefs of State Shinto, the actual power of the imperial family was
declining. The central state created during the Nara period, which was intended to give the
Japanese emperor real political power, fell apart by the 10th
century. The centralized bureaucracy created during the Nara period did not last - the more powerful
tradition of clan leaders and clan-based armies was simply too deeply
rooted. In essence, the imperial family failed to get rid of local
leaders - and these leaders were reasserting their local power after the 9th
century. They built up private armies as the state military fell apart; by the
time Japan entered the
1100's, Japan
was once again divided among several clans/families.
The final blow to the
ambitions of the Yamato emperors was in 1192, when a clan leader named Minamoto defeated a rival to establish military dominance
in Japan
- the first Shogun. The Shogun system reflected a pattern in which
there was a spiritual emperor, separate and independent clans, and a shifting
hierarchy among these clans to establish which was militarily dominant
(Shogun). However, these Shoguns were, like the imperial family, not true
central leaders; they had a recognized military dominance but no
bureaucracy with which to effectively and practically rule.
From the 1100's until the 1500's, then, Japan remained divided among
competing local military based leaders. While different clans established
military prominence and on occasion were able to take on the title Shogun -
these military leaders never ruled a true state. Local power
and private military power was the norm for almost 600 years - this was Japan's feudal
age.
Feudalism, as we saw in Europe, is a situation where political, military and
economic power is divided and held in local hands. There is no effective
central control or state. Another important defining feature of feudalism is that
there is a military emphasis in society - those who can provide military
protection or control military forces dominate in terms of power and in terms
of cultural influence. The feudal era in Japanese history was the time of the
daimyo (feudal lords) - usually the clan leaders. It was also the time of
the samurai; samurai (which comes from the word "to serve") were
those professional warriors who committed themselves to a particular clan or
leader and fought as loyal private warriors. In keeping with the ritual nature
of Japanese culture, Heian Japanese culture developed
more explicit codes for this warrior elite - Bushido (The Way of the
Warrior); this was a feudal and ritualized code which emphasized loyalty unto
death, a strict code of honor in combat and expertise in the military
arts. There emerged the military arts of Kendo (The Way of
the Sword) and Kyudo (The Way of
Archery.) There are interesting parallels made between European feudalism
and Japanese feudalism. The dominance of feudal/local lords, the
emergence of a powerful military elite, and the
importance of martial culture in art, literature and the social code.
There is also a shared experience of intense violence.
As a result of centuries of
isolated, traditional developments, and the influences from Korea and China,
Japan
entered the centuries of the Heian era with important
features of its civilization in place. For the next several centuries, Japan was a
society dominated by local feudal leaders and military based Shoguns. The
emperor served as a unifying force in Japan only in the role of a
symbolic and spiritual leader, and as a link to Amaterasu and the gods.
Buddhist monasteries coexisted with State Shinto and popular Shinto
practices. Writing continued, with new literary traditions and products
emerging, reflecting a Japanese voice. Japan,
as in Korea,
reflected the richness of a complex society produced by the blending of native
traditions with influential outside contributions. It is these patterns
that defined Japanese experience well into the Modern era. Japan emerged
as a distinctive and creative culture, however, divided internally and
separated by geography, it was still not ready to play a more active part on
the larger stage - that does not occur for centuries.
Interesting Related Web
Sites
Ancient Japanese
Timeline - with links
Internet Resources on Japan
Readings in Japanese Culture
BACK TO CHAPTER THREE
BACK TO UNIT TWELVE
PAGE