By Angela Black

Holt Social Studies: World History

Kidspast.com

Art and Culture in Heian

In AD 794 the Emperor and Empress of Japan moved the royal court from Nara to Heian
now called Kyoto. Many nobles who wanted the favour of the emperor follow him and an
imperial court was established. This period between 794 and 1185 AD., marked the beginning
of a new culture in Japan called Heian Culture. This period was a golden age in the art of
Japan.
The Japanese aristocracy had very little to do with the common people in fact they called
themselves the ‘dweller among the clouds’. Instead their focus was to spend time in finding the
beauty of every aspect of life. They began to focus on fashion, literature, visual arts, the
performing arts, architecture, and Buddhism.
Figure 1: Clothing worn a In fashion, nobles wore elaborate clothing made of silk and
Heian noble lady
adorned with gold. They often completed the outfits by carrying
intricately designed fans. The nobles also began to focus on their speech
and writing they often wrote about their daily lives in diaries or journals.
One famous journal was The Pillow Book. Most of the greatest works in
Japanese literature were written by women. One of the most outstanding
writers was Lady Murasaki Shikibu who wrote the famous novel called
The Tale of Genji.
They used bright, bold colours in their paintings which were
used to illustrate scenes in their novels and poem. They used calligraphy
to carefully write their poetry and stories. They were also known for
spending their time being entertained by Figure 2: Heian Architecture

performers such as musicians, actors, jugglers

and acrobats. The Japanese greatly admired
Chinese architecture and this was reflected in
the buildings in Heian. They liked to landscape
their buildings with beautiful gardens and
ponds.
Buddhism during the Heian era took two
forms. Buddhism among the Aristocrats was
practiced with elaborate rituals. The poor on the other hand, who did not have the money for
outlandish ceremonies, practiced ‘Pure Land Buddhism.’ They simply chanted to attain
enlightenment. In the 1100s a new form of Buddhism called Zen arrived from China. This form
of Buddhism believed that people who seek wisdom should do so by practicing self discipline
and meditation.
By Angela Black
Holt Social Studies: World History
Kidspast.com

As the Aristocrats focused on themselves the government grew weaker and vulnerable.
Soon ambitious warlords began to become independent of the central government.

Questions
1. Where did Japan's court move to in the late 700s.
2. Why was the period between 800 and 1100 called Japan's Golden Age of Literature and Art?
3. Did women in Heian have more rights and freedoms than other women say why.
4. What new form of Buddhism developed in Japan?
5. How did religion differ between Japanese nobles and common people?
6. Why was pure land Buddhism popular with the common people of Japan?

Research
In no more than 125 words, write a paragraph describing what the tale of Genji was about?