Nara and Heian

The Yamato During the AD 500s, a clan called the Yamato ruled Japan. Yamato chiefs claimed that they were descended from a sun goddess. This gave them the right to rule Japan as emperor.

Prince Shotoku About AD 600, Prince Shotoku was a regent for his aunt, the empress. A regent is a person who rules a country for someone who is unable to rule alone. He wanted to give Japan a strong, well-organized government based on Confucian ideas. He also worked to spread Buddhism. From whom did he learn these ideas? The Chinese!!! He sent scholars to China to learn all they could about Chinese society. The ideas these scholars brought back changed Japanese society.

The Nara Period (710-794) In the early AD 700s, Japanese emperors built the first permanent capital city called Nara. Before the capital changed to where ever the emperor lived. They modeled this city after the capital city of Chang’an of Tang China.

The Nara Period Government officials were ranked into a hierarchy. Define hierarchy: a system in which people are ranked one above the other according to status or authority Positions were given to nobles from powerful families. How is this different from the way the Chinese chose government officials? China used the Civil Service Exam.

Todaiji Buddhist teachings had reached Japan from Korea in the AD 500s. Buddhism was most highly developed in Nara.

In AD 770, a Buddhist monk tried to seize the throne, so the emperor decided to leave Nara for a new capital.

Heian-kyo (Kyoto) (794-1180) In AD 794, the emperor of Japan moved the capital from Nara to Heian-kyo. This city looked a lot like a major Chinese city.

The Heian Period= The Golden Age of Arts

Emergence of Japan AD 300s: People of Japan organized in clans, each with a different chief. AD 500s: The Yamato clan ruled most of Japan AD 600: Prince Shotoku brought Chinese ideas to Japan AD 710-794: The Nara Period-Buddhism became powerful in Japan AD 794-1180: The Heian Period-Golden Age of Arts & culture in Japan

Nobles and Common People had little to do with each other. Nobles seldom left the city. They loved beauty and elegance. Because of this love, the court at Heian became a great center of culture and learning.

The Heian nobles had magnificent wardrobes with silk robes and gold jewelry. They loved elaborate outfits. Women wore long gowns made of 12 layers of colored silk cleverly cut and folded to show off many layers at once.

The most popular art forms of the period were… Paintings Calligraphy Architecture

The Tale of Genji: the world’s first novel. Describes the romances and adventures of a Japanese prince. Written by Murasaki Shikibu, who was a lady-in-waiting in the royal court. Poetry-followed a specific structure Waka and Haiku