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Kyoto, the Fujiwara regents, The Tale of Genji and the rise of the samurai.

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Heian Period · 794–1185 AD
平安 · The Court of Peace

The Heian Period

From the founding of Kyoto and the rise of the Fujiwara regents, through a refined court world that produced The Tale of Genji and the first great flowering of a purely Japanese culture, to the growth of the provincial warriors and the Genpei War that ended the age of the courtiers. Slide across four centuries in which beauty ruled the capital while, in the provinces, the sword was quietly being sharpened.

794 AD
The New Capital
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794 AD

The New Capital
  • Political

    The founding of Heian-kyō

    Reconstruction of the great palace enclosure of Heian-kyō
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    Emperor Kanmu founds Heian-kyō, the "capital of peace and tranquility" — the city of Kyoto, Japan's home for a thousand years.

8 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 794 AD

Full Chronicle

The Heian Period

From the founding of Kyoto and the rise of the Fujiwara regents, through a refined court world that produced The Tale of Genji and the first great flowering of a purely Japanese culture, to the growth of the provincial warriors and the Genpei War that ended the age of the courtiers. Slide across four centuries in which beauty ruled the capital while, in the provinces, the sword was quietly being sharpened.

  1. The New Capital

    • The founding of Heian-kyō

      Emperor Kanmu founds Heian-kyō, the "capital of peace and tranquility" — the city of Kyoto, Japan's home for a thousand years.

  2. New Buddhism

    • Saichō and Kūkai

      The monks Saichō and Kūkai return from China and found the Tendai and Shingon schools of esoteric Buddhism.

  3. The Fujiwara Regents

    • The Fujiwara take the regency

      The Fujiwara clan seizes the office of regent, ruling in the emperor's name by marrying their daughters to the throne.

  4. A National Culture

    • The last embassy to China

      Japan halts its official missions to Tang China, turning inward to develop a culture of its own.

  5. The Golden Court

    • Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji

      The lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji, often called the world's first novel.

  6. The Age of Mappō

    • Pure Land faith and the Byōdō-in

      As many fear the dawn of mappō, the age of decline, the Byōdō-in temple rises as an image of the Buddha's paradise.

  7. The Warriors Enter

    • The samurai enter politics

      The Hōgen and Heiji disturbances draw the provincial warrior clans into the heart of court struggles.

  8. The Genpei War

    • The Genpei War and Dan-no-ura

      The Minamoto crush the Taira at the sea-battle of Dan-no-ura, ending the rule of the courtiers.