Classical Cultures Courtiers, Warriors, Peasants
Themes and topics Multiple, different worlds Imperial and aristocratic families Warrior “protectors” Cultivators Men and women Interdependent as well as conflicting
Heian-kyō ( ) "The Capital of Peace and Tranquility" Founder: Emperor Kammu (r ) North
Emperor relied on support from ranking nobles to rule Fujiwara family most important Women become highest ranking consorts Male clan heads become “regents” In 858, first Fujiwara “regent”, to a child emperor In 887, Fujiwara regent to adult emperor, Uda. [adult regent=kanpaku] Fujiwara control Heian politics for about 200 years Imperial family and aristocracy
Marriage politics: Fujiwara Michinaga ( ) Regents Emperors Marriage Michinaga
An era of power for women? Clan: patrilineal Family: matrilineal Independent home and property Neo- duolocal (or) Uxorilocal
“Rule of Taste”
Scene from chapter 7 of the Tale of Genji. Genji (bottom) with his companion To no Chujo entertains visiting dignitaries from Korea. This album leaf consists of 54 paired painted/calligraphic scenes and is the oldest complete extant album collection of the Tale of Genji. Dates to Harvard Arthur M. Sackler Museum collection.
Tale of Genji: Kashiwagi chapter A scene from the tale of Genji. One of the so-called Yamato-e scrolls, a valuable source for viewing the culture of the Heian court. This illustrates a scene from the Kashiwagi chapter of the Tale of Genji. The hero, Kashiwagi, lays ill in the center.
Byōdō-in: Phoenix Hall (1053) Fujiwara Yorimichi
Female worlds: childbirth literary arts
Nara Buddhism ca CE: Traditions from China Kegon 華厳 (Hua-yen), Hossô 法相 (Fa-hsiang) Funded by aristocrats Served official functions Most important: state protection Emperor Shômu and the great Buddha of Tôdaiji. Kôfukuji and Tôdaiji as headquarters of kokubunji system, of state sponsored Buddhism
Religion in the Heian Period: Two founders and new traditions Saichō: Tendai Buddhism Kūkai: Shingon Buddhism
Heian Buddhism: Commonalities What does it do? State protection Family protection Personal benefits Salvation (Pure Land) How did one do it? Supporting the monks Donating copied sutras Sponsoring rituals Reverence for particular Buddha/icon Conflict with "Shintô"? Minimal - equation of Buddhist deities with Shintô kami Shôrin-in Temple, founded in the early 11th c.
World of Warriors: (1) Fighting border wars and rebellious clans (2) Helping aristocrats control their land
Aristocrat-warrior interdependence
Private Estates = Sh ō en Fundamental in fabric of pre-1600 Japan (6000 identified) Had origins in three practices Imperial grants to officials (“office lands” Imperial grants to temples, to consorts Imperial grants to land developers Key features: Tax free! Permanent Unlike European manor Proprietor absent Creates need for local “steward”
The Sh ō en Pyramid Sh ō en "Joint stock company" Each level held shares appropriate to their title Shares called “shiki” Hereditary Could be sold or bought Noble, shrine or temple Fujiwara or large temple Local strongman
“Public” Lands and Private Estates (Sh ō en) Sh ō en Regional noble, temple Fujiwara or large temple Local strongman
Map of an estate (sh ō en)sh ō en
Delivery of estate share (shiki)
World of cultivators Low life expectancy (ca. 30 yrs) High birth rates Disease keeps population in check Probably smallpox 8 th c. epidemic kills perhaps ¼ of all Population instability encourages estates Public system deplete by disease Estate system draws scarce population
Themes and topics Multiple, different worlds Imperial and aristocratic families Court women and men Warrior “protectors” Cultivators Interdependent as well as conflicting Evidence in literary sources