Art and culture in heian Pages 204-208

The capital of Japan was moved from nara to Heian (Kyoto).

It’s all about the nobles… The nobles followed the emperor to the new capital. They created a court, a group who served and advised the emperor. The nobles lived privileged lives and called themselves “dwellers among the clouds.” They were obsessed with beauty and elegance.

The nobles loved fashion Members of the Heian aristocracy (nobles) wore elaborate silk clothes and gold jewelry. Women would wear gowns made of 12 layers of silk that were folded and cut to show off the different layers and colors. The nobles also carried fans which were highly decorated.

Literature The nobility took great care in how they spoke and wrote. Writing was very popular, especially amongst women. They would keep diaries and write about court life. To make their writing beautiful, they wrote very eloquently. Women preferred to write in Japanese, while Men wrote in Chinese. Because of this, many of Japan’s most well known literary works were written by women.

Lady murasaki shikibu The most well-known author in early Japan. Her most famous work was The Tale of Genji. Many consider it to be the first full-length novel. The Tale of Genji is one of Japan’s most famous literary works.

The tale of genji The story follows a Japanese prince, Genji, on his quest to find love. During his journey, he meets women from many social classes. Murasaki’s writing is simple but elegant and the book describes court life in great detail.

Poetry during the Heian Nobles enjoyed writing poetry and even held poetry readings and parties. Most poems described nature, love, or everyday life. Japanese poetry from this time followed a very strict structure.

Waka Follows a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. A precursor to Haiku. “The flowers withered, Their color faded away, While meaninglessly I spent my days in the world And the long rains were falling.”

Visual Arts The most popular art forms during the Heian were…

Paintings From “The Tale of Genji.”

Calligraphy Many poems were written in calligraphy. Calligraphers would spend thousands of hours copying poems.

Architecture Architecture was heavily influenced by the Chinese. The capital of Heian was modelled after Chang’an.

Performing arts The nobles valued the performing arts. Concerts and performances were popular. Noh plays combined speaking, music and dance.

Changes to buddhism The nobles practiced Buddhism and developed many elaborate rituals to reflect their faith. In 1100’s Zen Buddhism became popular. Zen is the belief that people should practice self discipline and meditation to achieve wisdom and happiness. Zen became popular across Japan, especially with warriors.