Heian period

to stop the run of epidemics and other disasters that were afflicting Kyoto residents at that time. Now Thousands of people come to see it. Heian Shrine…

shogunates power and gave rise to regional warlords named daimyos (Totman, 2002). This period, known as the Muromachi period, was the beginning of a period of civil war. During this period, Portuguese traders made contact with the nation, establishing lines of trade with the Western world. The late sixteenth century saw the rise of the daimyo Oda Nobunga, who reunited the Japanese islands, recommencing a period of centralized rule. Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, the ruling…

Sei Shonagon draws her court life and sophisticated culture with warm atmosphere in The Pillow Book. Sei Shonagon was a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Teishi and lived most flourished time of the Heian Period that aristocrats established and introduced the new cultures to the court. The Heian culture emphasized appearance. In fact, Sei Shonagon vividly deserves how people set a high value looks. For example, She mentions how a person wears or piles up the colored clothing again and again, such…

Mikatsuki Blade made by Sanjo Kokaji Munechika By the Heian period (794-1185), Japan had become well renowned among the neighboring nations for its swordsmiths. Though for most of history prior, China had been the main producer of swords (and pretty much everything else) Japan had managed to make a name for itself by innovating on Chinese designs. Several swordsmith guilds appeared throughout the Heian period and were very wealthy and influential. One of those guilds was started by a man named…

The Kagero Diary written in the 10th details life in the Heian Period. The author, addressed as The Mother of Michitsuna provides commentary towards her life as a married noblewoman. The Mother of Michitsuna’s writing provides a gendered voice in the text, effectively showing the text is by a woman and she is aware of her womanhood. The author effectively conveys this style through the subject matters focused and illuminated in the diary, and a sense of awareness of her place in society. The…

form of the Japanese government has changed over the years. During the Heian period, which was between 794 and 1185 A.D., there were four major groups that held government power. These groups were the emperor and imperial family, Buddhist sects, the aristocracy and the small-town warriors. During this time the emperors had to gain political backing from powerful aristocratic families to be able to rule the country. The Heian period was considerably peaceful and was also secure from foreign…

there are still hippies around. Kami are spirits, if I understand correctly, who probably came from Izanami and Izanagi, the birthers of the world (Japan). It sounds like there were many phases of Shinto. From the beginning then they move to Heian period, where Buddhism and Shinto mixed. However, I don’t understand this…

The Germanic Tribes told a few stories one of which was Beowulf. The epic, Beowulf “was the first monumental literary composition in a European vernacular language” (Fiero 123). That way everyone in European could understand the poem at the time. This epic’s purpose was to “celebrate the deeds of warrior heroes” as well as to entertain the audience with song (Fiero 123). Beowulf's original story is unknown, since this tale came to existents far before the written word was generalized. In the…

of the book to add their character. Or, the incorporation of their nature into that of the setting of the story. In the case of Sei Shōnagon she develops her whiney disposition by using tone in the written text; and of using the setting of the Heian period of Japan in The Pillow Book. Thus, effectively using both ways of writing a novel. Sei Shōnagon writes in a format that tells of what she likes and dislikes. Consequently, her wording becomes excessive making it easy to tell of what her…

What’s it like to be a woman growing up in Ancient China and Japan? How were women treated in Ancient China and Japan? Women in Ancient China and Japan both had arranged marriages, but their lifestyles and privileges are contrasting. During both Ancient China and Japan marriages were arranged. During Ancient China, once a woman was married, she would live with her husband and was required to obey members of his family, especially his mother (“Daily Life of Women”). During Ancient Japan, the…