Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [12]
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HISTORICAL PERIODS
Period Date
Jōmon c 13,000 BC–c 400 BC
Yayoi c 400 BC–c AD 250
Kofun/Yamato 250–710
Nara 710–94
Heian 794–1185
Kamakura 1185–1333
Muromachi 1333–1568
Azuchi-Momoyama 1568–1600
Edo/Tokugawa 1600–1868
Meiji 1868–1912
Taishō 1912–26
Shōwa 1926–89
Heisei 1989–present
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THE AGE OF COURTIERS
In 710 an intended permanent capital was established at Nara (Heijō), built to a Chinese grid pattern. The influence of Buddhism in those days is still seen today in the Tōdai-ji Click here, which houses a huge bronze Buddha and is the world’s largest wooden building (and one of the oldest).
In 784 Emperor Kammu (r 781–806) decided to relocate the capital. His reasons are unclear, but may have related to an inauspicious series of disasters following the move to Nara, including a massive smallpox epidemic between 735 and 737 that killed as many as one-third of the population. In 794 the capital was transferred to nearby Kyoto (Heian), newly built on a similar grid pattern. It was to remain Japan’s capital for more than a thousand years – though not necessarily as the centre of actual power.
It was in Kyoto that, over the next few centuries, courtly life reached a pinnacle of refined artistic pursuits and etiquette, captured famously in the novel Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji), written by the court-lady Murasaki Shikibu around 1004. It showed a world where courtiers indulged in divertissements such as guessing flowers by their scent and building extravagant follies. On the positive side, it was a world that encouraged aesthetic sensibilities, for example, of mono no aware (the bitter-sweetness of things) and okashisa (pleasantly surprising incongruity), which were to endure right through to the present. But on the negative side, it was also a world increasingly estranged from the real one. Put bluntly, it lacked muscle. The effeteness of the court was exacerbated by the weakness of the emperors, manipulated over centuries by the intrigues of the notorious and politically powerful Fujiwara family.
By contrast, while the major nobles immersed themselves in courtly pleasures and/or intrigues, out in the real world of the provinces powerful military forces were developing. They were typically led by minor nobles, often sent out on behalf of court-based major nobles to carry out ‘tedious’ local gubernatorial and administrative duties. Some were actually distant imperial family members, barred from succession claims – a practice known as ‘dynastic shedding’ – and often hostile to the court. Their retainers included skilled warriors known as samurai (literally ‘retainers’).
The two main ‘shed’ families were the Minamoto (also known as Genji) and the Taira (Heike), who were basically enemies. In 1156 they were employed to assist rival claimants to headship of the Fujiwara family, though these figures soon faded into the background, for it developed into a feud between the Minamoto and the Taira.
The Taira prevailed, under Kiyomori (1118–81), who based himself in the capital and, over the next 20 years or so, fell prey to many of the vices that lurked there. In 1180, following a typical court practice, he enthroned his own two-year-old grandson, Antoku. However, a rival claimant requested the help of the Minamoto, who had regrouped under Yoritomo (1147–99) in Izu. Yoritomo was more than ready to agree.
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The Tale of Genji, written by the court-lady Murasaki Shikibu around 1004, is widely believed to be the world’s first novel.
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Both Kiyomori and the claimant died very shortly afterwards, but Yoritomo, with his younger half-brother Yoshitsune (1159–89), continued the campaign against the Taira – a campaign interrupted by a pestilence during the early 1180s. By 1185 Kyoto had fallen and the Taira had been pursued to the western tip of Honshū. A naval battle ensued (at Dan-no-ura), and the Minamoto were victorious. In a well-known tragic tale, Kiyomori’s widow clasped her grandson Antoku