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The Heian era is often referred to as a period of peace and tranquility. The
government introduced
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a more esoteric form of Buddhism to Japan from Tang china, and a great
appreciation
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for arts rose in court life.
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Let’s take a closer look at the history and life of the Heian period.
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The Heian period is marked by the move of the capital to Heian-kyo in 794,
where it
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remained until 1868, when the court moved to Tokyo. Today, this city known
for its long
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and rich history is now called Kyoto.
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The move is traditionally ascribed to Emperor Kanmu and the court - who
wanted to distance
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the secular seat of power from the centers of the six Buddhist schools.
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During the Nara period, an ambitious monk named Dōkyō became very
powerful and influential
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during the reign of Empress Shōtoku. After he healed her of a serious illness,
she honored
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him with titles and power. And, It's even alleged that they had an affair.
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There was a bit of an ordeal, when he tried to take a seat on the throne. There
was an
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oracle who said that there would be peace if he became emperor. A high-
ranking official
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was sent to verify the prediction, and the second oracle that came said that since
he
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was not of imperial lineage, he should not be named emperor, and that wicked
people who
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sought the throne as such should be swept away. And of course, Dōkyō exiled
that official.
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In end, when the empress died, Dōkyō was banished from Nara.
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So, as a result, the capital was moved to Heian, and the Nara temples did not
move with
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them.
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New esoteric Buddhist sects were imported from China with state support to
reduce the
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power of the temples in Nara, two major sects being the Tendai and Shingon.
The more studious
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and ascetic Tendai became the state sect while Shingon entranced the
aristocracy with its
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mysterious rituals.
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Just as the previous capitals Fujiwara and Heijoo, Heian’s location was selected
because
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it satisfied Chinese geomancy requirements: it was flanked on three sides by
mountains
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and was bordered by two relatively large rivers. Also like them, It was laid out
in a rectangular
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grid. Since there was a conscious effort to distance the court from the religious
powers-
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there were only two major Buddhist temples that were allowed within the
boundaries of
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the city’s original plans: Tooji and Saiji. They were positioned near the southern
boundaries,
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as the city’s spiritual guardians at the primary entrance, but also positioned far
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away from the emperor and government.
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One thing to keep in mind is that the aristocracy living in the capital was only a
small percentage
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of the population - no more than one thousand people, but their tastes set the
tone for
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artistic creation during this time.
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It was a time when gentlemen and gentlewomen were expected to be highly
refined, products
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of and contributors to a highly refined courtly aesthetic. The clothes they wore
were elaborate-
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with multiple layers of silk, cut in a specific fashion specific to men and
women. The ideal
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beauty of women were to have a round face with small features, long, straight
black
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hair, white powdered faces with eyebrows plucked and penciled in, and teeth
blackened. The
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ideal man would also have a round face and small features.
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With a strong hierarchy in place, advantageous marriages were often arranged
by parents,
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as it was the best way for a man to gain rank (both for the father marrying off
his child,
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and the son marrying a daughter of higher rank). It was also common for men to
have
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several wives - as women at the time often died young in childbirth, and again,
the man
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can advance in rank with strategic marriages of his children
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so it was ideal to have a lot of them.
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The life of a noblewoman was not all that great from today’s perspective - from
diaries
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we know that custom required her to remain hidden from the eyes of all men
except for
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her father and her husband. Shaded in the world of the shinden, or mansion,
behind folding
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screens with a household of servants, she rarely needed to do housekeeping or
raising
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the children, or caring for her husband.
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She passed her time with festivals and ceremonies, practicing calligraphy and
musical instruments.
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Women were taught to read and write, and even allowed to inherit property but,
since they
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did not oversee the administration of their economic affairs, they needed the
assistance
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from either a husband or male relative, lovers or retainers.
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Certain areas of studies were limited to men, such as Confucian classics and
Chinese characters.
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In the beginning of the 9th century, a system of writing called hiragana was
introduced,
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where it was purely Japanese syllabary. This system was what was women were
encouraged
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to use, so the great works of literature by women from this time, such as the
famous Genji
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monogatari (or The Tale of Genji) were almost entirely composed in hiragana
script.
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They were also really into poetry and calligraphy. Like really into it: This was a
time when
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the aristocracy used poetry to not only judge the other person’s knowledge and
character,
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but also for everyday communication, between friends, family, lovers and even
government
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officials. Many Japanese poem forms had developed, the most famous of them
being the haiku.
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The Heian period spans over 4 centuries, and is divided into three distinct
phases:
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Early Heian,Middle Heian, or Fujiwara, And Late Heian or Insei.
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Since there’s a lot of ground to cover - like 4 centuries of it - This video will be
split
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into 2 parts. This video will cover the Early Heian, and a part 2 will cover the
middle-
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and late- Heian.
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The Heian period began with a continued adherence to Chinese models, but by
the end of its first
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century, there was an overwhelming sense that there was nothing more to gain
from contact
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with China and in 894, the imperially sponsored embassies to Tang China were
officially discontinued.
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In 907, Tang dynasty fell, and while trade continued between the counties, the
Japanese
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court and aristocracy increasingly looked to themselves. Architecture, painting
and
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sculpture were reworked to suit a newly emerging national taste.
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From the Asuka to Nara periods,Chinese objects were seen as prized
possessions of the elite,
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but in the Heian period, while the demand for the imported kara-e, or Chinese
style,
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screens seems to have continued unabated, the aristocratic preference in other
crafts
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- particularly lacquer and metal wares - seems to have shifted to those of
Japanese-style
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decoration. One of the major events of the Early Heian
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period is the introduction of the Tendai and Shingon Buddhist sects. It was felt
that the
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teachings and rituals of the six schools of Nara were aimed primarily at securing
material
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benefits for the state and for their wealthy aristocratic patrons, and not at
spiritual
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attainment and Enlightenment. These two new schools refocused Japanese
Buddhism on the
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serious matter of philosophy and practice, and the sculpture and painting that
they produced
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in the first century of the Heian period tended to address this new seriousness in
Buddhist
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matters, leaving behind the light and cool elegance of eighth century Heijoo.
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At the heart of tantric teachings is the concept that the Buddha possesses two
aspects: the
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phenomenal body, manifested in the earthly emanations of such Buddha as
Shaka, and the
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absolute or ineffable body, which is expressed by the supreme or transcendental
Buddha, such
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as Birushana. The concept of the nonduality of the Buddha - the phenomenal
and the transcendental
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bodies of the Buddha were not separate entities but rather different
manifestations of the
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same absolute principle - is expressed in new objects of worship, including the
Ryookai
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(or Two Realms) Mandala, which diagrams the two realms called the Taizookai
(or Womb World)
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and Kongookai (or Diamond World). A “Mandala” refers to a diagram of the
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spiritual universe, portrayed abstractly in the mind, in three-dimensional
sculptural
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and architectural forms, and in two dimensional images.
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The Womb world Mandala is composed of twelve precincts or courts arranged
in concentric
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zones and expresses the many facets of Buddha’s nature. Dainichi Nyorai sits at
the center
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of an eight-petaled lotus flower, with his hands in a meditation gesture. To his
north,
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south, east and west are the four transcendental Buddhas, with four bodhisattvas
in between.
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Framing this are four distinct precincts: The Court of Universal Knowledge, the
Court
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of Wisdom, the Vajra’s Holder’s Court, and the Lotus Holder’s Court. In the
second
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and third layers are courts of bodhisattvas, and the last outermost layer contains
various
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guardian figures.
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The Diamond Realm Mandala consists of nine rectangles, each representing a
Buddha world.
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All the deities depicted are fully enlightened beings. At the center is the
Attainment of
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Buddhahood Assembly, with Dainichi Nyorai in the center of the middle circle,
surrounded
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by four bodhisattvas. At the center of each of the four circles are the four
transcendental
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Buddhas, surrounded by bodhisattvas. At the center, top rectangle is Dainichi,
making
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the gesture wisdom fist.
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According to Shingon doctrine, one can attain Enlightenment in this existence
through contemplation
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and rituals using the paired mandalas. By visualizing the symbols of the
spiritual world
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that are depicted in the mandala, one learns the Three Mysteries of body, word,
and thought,
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which cannot be expressed in words.
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By meditating on and performing rituals in front of the two mandalas, and
repetition
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of one’s secret mantra, anyone can become one with Dainichi Nyorai and
achieve enlightenment.
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An example of a sculptural Mandala can be found in Tooji. The nearly life sized
images
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are arranged on a low altar. At the center of the platform is Dainichi Nyorai,
surrounded
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by the four transcendental Buddhas. To the east is a set of the Five LImitless
Wisdom
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Bodhisattvas, 4 of which are arranged around the most important, Kongoo
Haramitsu, To the
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west are The Five Wisdom Kings, again with four of them grouped around the
most important
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Fudoo. At the four corners are The Four Guardian Kings. And the figures in
between them Bonten
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and Taishakuten.
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This arrangement isn’t based on a known sutra, but likely an attempt to combine
new
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and old into a synthetic whole. of the original 21 images, the five buddhas and
the Kongo
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Haramitsu are later replacements. Today all of the images face south, but in
earlier times
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the figures of the extreme east and west faced outwards, so they would face the
viewer as
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they circumambulated the mandala.
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Compared to the earlier Nara sculptures, the Tooji bodhisattva sculptures have
greater
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bulk and more solid volume than earlier works. They have a sensuality that
earlier works
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lack. The majority of each sculpture is carved from a single block of wood, with
cavities
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scooped of out the back and head and torso to prevent the wood from drying
unevenly and
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causing surface cracks. The forearms and fronts of the knees are carved from
separate pieces
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of wood and joined to the central part of the statue. Details of the hair, face,
upper
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body and feet have been modeled in lacquer and glued to the plain wood
surface. Then,
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the bodhisattvas were coated with lacquer and covered with gold leaf, while the
Myoooo
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were covered with gofun (gesso) and decorated in bright colors and rich textile
patterns
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- similar to the Nara period sculptures in Todaiji.
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The earliest temple to reflect the teachings of the Shingon and Tendai schools is
Jingoji,
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near Mount Takao. A standing Yakushi image in Jingoji is thought to be the
main icon
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of an older temple, Jinganji, probably completed in 793 and later moved to the
current temple.
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This figure of the healing buddha is life-size with thick limbs. He holds a
medicine jar
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in the left hand, and the fear-not or semui-in gesture with the right. The drapery
cut into
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deep folds is tight across the widest part of the the thigh. The left shoulder and
drapery
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folds are slightly higher than those of the right, making him appear to slightly
turn
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to the left. A subtle detail that gives movement to the large piece. The face is
almost brooding
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in quality, adding to the overall effect of something strange, supernatural, and
not particularly
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welcoming.
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Carved out of a single block of Japanese cypress, that was not hollowed out, the
sculpture features
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some serious cracks that are now repaired. traces of paint remain of the face: red
lips,
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black pupils and white on the eyes, blue snail-shell curls and the rest was
unpainted. It is believed
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this is one of the earliest examples of ichiboku, a technique that appeared
primarily in rural
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or suburban temples as wood was the most readily available.
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Muroji is a mountain temple located southeast of Nara. Even before the site was
chosen for
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the construction of a Buddhist temple, it was considered sacred by the locals
because
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of its unusual configuration of rocks and streams due to volcanic action.
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The buildings of the temple have been laid out on three levels. Midway up the
mountain
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are the main buildings for worship: a golden hall, or kondoo, a mirokudoo or
hall dedicated
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to the Future Buddha Miroku, a building for the kanjoo initiation rites, and a
five story
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pagoda. Of these structures, only the kondoo and the five-storied pagoda of the
middle
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precinct have survived from the Early Heian period.
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The five story pagoda is considered to be the oldest structure in the temple
complex,
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dating to the late Nara period or the early years of the 9th c. It is slender, and
about
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half the height of most pagodas. It’s also the oldest surviving pagoda in Japan.
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A pagoda is an adaption of the traditional stupa - originally a mound containing
the
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Buddha's ashes, but over time became larger and more elaborate. In China, the
stupa with
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the influence of watchtower architecture evolved into the pagoda. It then spread
to Korea,
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and arrived in Japan along with Buddhism in the 6th century.
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The irregular, mountainous topography of these sites forced Japanese architects
to rethink
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temple construction, choosing more indigenous elements of design. Cypress-
bark roofs replaced
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ceramic tile, wood planks were used instead of earthen floors, and a separate
worship
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area for the laity was added to the front of the main sanctuary.
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Their use of native materials gives it a more informal appearance, fitting into its
environment.
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Muroji houses several major sculptures, but one most impressive from the Early
Heian period
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is the seated Shaka. Carved from a single piece of wood, with the exception of
the knees
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and forearms, the sculpture is also hollow in the head and chest, but neatly
carved pieces
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of wood fit to cover the hole.
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Slightly tilted forward, the sculpture is just barely in balance, creating a tension
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between the the viewer and image. His almost brooding facial features for a
more austere
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or withdrawn expression, in keeping with the secrecy of Esoteric Buddhist rites.
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The folds of his clothing are cut in a new way, called the rolling-wave style, or
honpa
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shiki. The drapery is thick and sharply undercut at the crest, and the next is a
single shallow
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fold, creating a pattern that contrasts against the smooth surface of the body.
The sculpture
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was painted with gofun, or gesso, and color textile designs, but today, only the
white
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undercoat and a patch of vermillion remains. I hope you guys enjoyed this part
1 of the
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early Heian period. Please click the annotation to continue watching the middle-
and later-
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Heian period. Or, you can go ahead and watch earlier periods of Japanese Art
History. Please
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like and subscribe for future videos, and I’ll see you guys next time.