Heian Japan
courtly literature, Fujiwara regency, the warrior class rising
01
The New Capital
Emperor Kammu founds Heian-kyo on the Chang'an grid
794–810 CE
02
Saicho and Kukai
Tendai at Mount Hiei, Shingon at Mount Koya — the two great Buddhist mountains
805–840 CE
03
The Fujiwara Regency
marriage politics, the cancellation of Tang embassies, and Michinaga's full moon
858–1027 CE
04
The Court Aesthetic
kana script, mono no aware, and the layered colors of court life
850–1000 CE
05
The Brilliant Women
Sei Shonagon, Murasaki Shikibu, and the women writers of the Heian peak
1000–1020 CE
06
The Insei Era
cloistered emperors, provincial warriors, and Pure Land Buddhism
1068–1156 CE
07
The Hogen and Heiji Disturbances
samurai in Kyoto and Taira no Kiyomori's brief regency
1156–1180 CE
08
The Genpei War
Yoshitsune's campaigns, Dannoura, and the end of classical Japan
1180–1185 CE