More on the Heian Period
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| Visiting the Heian Shrine |
Although not a construct of this era the Heian Shrine, a partial reproduction of
the Heian Palace, was planned in 1895 to commemorate 1100 years of Heian-kyo’s
existence. Later, it came to symbolise the
determination of Kyoto’s citizens to revive diminishing fortunes and a languishing
culture after the capital was moved to Tokyo.
Graceful traditional court life is reflected in the brightly coloured
shrine with its vermillion pillars and green roof. We wandered past various buildings, admiring
them for their dignified grandeur, then took some time to walk the Chinese
inspired gardens. Extensive grounds,
known as Okazaki Park, contains museums, ornamental pools and a zoo. Maruyama Park leads through giant overhanging
oaks, inner gardens and ponds. April is
Cherry Blossom time and we hoped that a few blooms might still be left. However, the heat and humidity had returned
in earnest so we missed out on lavish tourist brochure displays.
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| Garden views were special |
Lacquer work was popularised during the Heian period. First
discovered in China, lacquer work was introduced to Japan as early as 3 AD. Most early examples can be found in Shosoin,
Nara. By the Heian period, craftsmen had
achieved a high degree of skill and perfection and it was much in demand by the
aristocracy and used as we use plastics today. Traditionally, lacquer is made by tightly
covering a wooden core with silk. Unishi
(filtered sap of the lacquer tree which dries on contact with air) was painted over
this core in a number of coats. Each layer
was left to dry in a damp chamber to prevent cracking. Colour was enhanced by adding iron filings,
gold, bronze and tin dust (metallic). Pearl shell inlay was also used. The item was finished with a transparent coating.
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The development of native characters in literature led to
a popular trend of “love stories”, some written and illustrated by women. This popular pastime led to an innovative art
form – e-maki or the
picture scroll. The best known is “Tale
of Prince Genji”. An epic novel, it was written
in the year 1000 by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman of Kyoto. Her story tells of
a life in an aristocratic society bound by courtly customs and is a fascinating
read. This site has some nice photographs too.
While courtly elegance sustained the aristocracy, a
powerful force was on the rise in the provinces – the samurai class (1156).
The powerful Fujiwara family was undermined
and destroyed. Rebellion ensued and
finally a military government was established some 500 miles from Kyoto. Life under the Samurai or warriors was austere
and based on feudal social order.
