History 150a
 
 
Return of the Repressed?
"Japaneseness" in the Heian Era Return of the Repressed? Breaking With China Government [Capitol Modifications] Clan Power Cloistered Emperors Buddhism Shingon Tendai Superstitions Breaking (with) China 894 CE: Heian government stopped sending official Japanese embassies to China Embassies not resumed in an official capacity for over four centuries Why would the Japanese court distance itself from the Chinese center? Changes to the Ritsuryo Ideal:
Heian Government Development of rule behind the throne Three Phases Centralized rule through emperor (thru mid 9th c.) Dominance of the Fujiwara (9-10th c.) Governance by cloistered emperors (11th-early 12th centuries) Emperor-Centered Rule From Nara period to the mid 9th c. Kammu had power to move capital to Heian Sovereign's private office (kurôdokoro) Factors undermining the E-centered model Multiplication of semi-private bureaucratic posts and administrative institutions Withdrawal of revenue resources from tax base Decay of centrally-controlled military power Administration and the Realm Borders and wars Provinces (kuni) Sixty-six Delegation of authority Official Posts Court rank/birth => Government post Salary/income Hollowing out and overlapping of posts No post ever discontinued Work = ceremony Work = bureaucratic administration The Rise of the Fujiwara Clan Nakatomi no Kamatari helped Prince Naka assassinate Soga leaders in 645 AD and received name "Fujiwara" After marriage of Fujiwara female to Emperor Shômu, majority of consorts were Fujiwara 858: Office of Regent (sesshô) 880: Office of Chancellor (kampaku) Fujiwara Marriage Politics Self-perpetuating cycle: Fujiwara woman marries emperor, gives birth to next emperor, who marries a Fujiwara woman... Regency awarded to one most closely related to emperor or heir Political importance of Fujiwara women Basis of Fujiwara Power Tight control, through marriage, of emperor Fujiwara numerically dominated Council of State Played different court factions off each other Office of Regent/Chancellor Fujiwara clan administration (mandokoro) Aggressively acquired rights to tax-free property Decline of Fujiwara Dominance Resentment of Fujiwara dominance by early 11th c. Early death of Fujiwara daughters and Fujiwara imperial consorts giving birth to girls only Increasing dissent within the clan, some members aligned with non-Fujiwara factions Imperial Resurgence Emperor Go-Sanjô not of Fujiwara descent Emperor Shirakawa (son) instituted retired or cloistered emperor system (r. 1072-1086 as emperor, 1086-1129 as retired emperor) Office of Retired Emperors (11th-early 12th centuries) NOT return to Ritsuryo model "Shadow" structure similar to Fujiwara Regency, but power in imperial line Ruling emperor abdicated in favor of son, set up parallel administration Freed from ceremonial duties to pursue “clan”-specific interests Ingredients for Court Intrigue Not unusual to have more than one cloistered emperor Fujiwara not out of the picture Ruling emperor sometimes sought independence from Fujiwara and Cloistered Emperors Factional rivalries Growing importance of warrior clans in these political contests Heian Buddhism Move to Heian in part to get out from under Nara temples Court also sought to undermine the Nara Sects by encouraging new ones Emergence of "Japanese" self-consciousness in relation to Buddhism Largely aristocratic religion Tendai Buddhism Saichô (767-822) studied T'ien-t'ai and Chan in China Lotus Sutra = Living Buddha Emphasis on possibility of salvation for all living creatures Move from secondary commentaries to direct study of scripture Establishment of Mt. Hiei temple complex Shingon ("True Word") Buddhism Kûkai (Kôbô Daishi)(774-835) studied esoteric tantric Buddhism in China Dainichi Buddha as originary point for all other Buddhist deities (grand cosmology) Two levels for evoking Dainichi essence: Exoteric: lay (not wrong) Esoteric: initiates (heart) Establishment of Mt. Koya temple complex Magic and Taboos Pollution Unresolved Desires Yin and Yang Twelve "Zodiac" Signs Five Elements Directional Deities Return of the Repressed? Sense of distinction from the continent Alteration of the model Government Religion Heian “Japanese=ness” not the same as modern nation
Monday, October 16, 2006
Lecture 8: Heian Government