Kyoto In The Heian Period 794-1185

The Founding Of Kyoto

Up until the end of the sixth century, japan consisted of an aliance of local clan which, while accepting the suzerainty of the emperor, were still more or less independent. By the seventh century, japanese emperors had accumulated enough power over these quasi independent class's T'ang dynasty (618-907), divided the country into provinces and districts sub ordinate to the emperor making him sole head of a nation administered by officials when he a directly appointed. Buddhism , which maintains the the stste must reflect the strictly hierarchial order of the spiritual universe in which everything emanates form a permanent and imperturbable center, was introduced to provide the religious justification for the reform. It succes in supplanting arcbaic shinto which amphasized local deities and, by extension local  autonomy.

Under the old system, atrict taboo decreed thet emperors transfer the entrie capital whenever the palace or its navirons were defiled by death, or this peace distrubed by political up heavavals or natural disasters. This wastheful practice was abandened favour of a permanent capital, on idea which, too, was borrowed from Chinnese.

This selection of this permanent capital was govermed by certain geomatic requirements; it have to three mauntains, one inc ach of the north, the east and the west, two river in the east and west, and a pond to the south. The pond a neccesary feature of capital according to the chinese, symbolized centralized power. Later, the "Pond of the capital"Came to be imitated to be palaces and residences.

The first so-called "Permanent" capital of japan proved to be quote other wise. Nara only based from 710 to 794 , and nagaoka for a scant ten years from 784 to 794 in both cases, political reasons militated for removal to another site, althrough lack of the water was the officia explanation. In Nara, the attemp by buddhist "pope" Tokyo (d.772) to usurp the throme- the only such attemptsecorded in japanese history - signaled the danger of buddhist influence on state offairs and prompted to move to Nagaoka.

Three, the Fujiwara clan, determined to become leading family under the emperor, move to consolidate its power leaving of number of victims in this path. They became so powerfull that when the supervisor of constructions, a Fujiwara, was assasinated in 785, they accused the imperal prince Sawara of plotting agains their kinsmasn and succreded in exiling him to Awaji Island. The prince deriberately starved himself to death en route. After death, and illnes in the vengeful spirit of te decreased prince. there was great fearin ancient japan of malevolent spirit of political victims. According to popular belief, the spirit of those who died dissatisfied - whether  becaus of jelously or because of bitterness over a wrong commitrend agains them, as would certainly be true of one who died in exile - were potential threats to the living. To cambat my possible retribution by his retless soul, prince Sawara was poshumously designated of emperor sado.

A continuing series of mishaps at Nagaoka Induced emperor  kammu (r. 784-805) to abandon the capital and seek the new site. on the pretext of hunting, he underwork a number excursions into the area of present-day Kyoto toconsider its suitability. On the twenty-second day of the tenth month of 794 an suspicius day for a move according to the astrological charts, the emperor announced the locations of the view capital declaring, " The maountais and rivers are the collar and belt of this area and make it a natural castle."

In order to select a fitting name, a poetry meeting was convened. Every poet at the gatjhering need the name Heian-Kyo, capital of peace, into his verse. In this way, this propitious choise because the name exerted a benevolent influence on the period thet followed. For over three thousand hundred years, the capital was spared the destruction of warfare; even mmore remakable, not a single criminal was executed during that time. The capital of peace was to last over one thousand years, from 794 to 1869, and more than evently emperors would reside there. By far the most notable peges of japanese culture and history unfolded in this city.


By: Herbert E Plutschow
Book: Historical Kyoto