Editing Heian period (section)

==Culture==
===Developments in Buddhism===
[[File:Danjogaran Koyasan12n3200.jpg|thumb|Danjō-garan on [[Mount Kōya]], a sacred center of [[Shingon]] Buddhism]]
[[File:Fugen enmei painting.jpg|thumb|Painting of the [[bodhisattva]] Fugen Enmei ([[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]]). Ink on silk, 12th century]]
[[File:Standing Komoku Ten (Virupakusa) Heian Period, 12th century.tiff|thumb|Statue of Kōmokuten ([[Virupaksa]]), the Heavenly King of the West. Wood, 12th century]]

The Heian period saw the rise of two [[Vajrayana|esoteric]] Buddhist sects, [[Tendai]] and [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon]].

Tendai is the Japanese version of the [[Tiantai]] school from China, which is based on the [[Lotus Sutra]], one of the most important [[sutra]]s in [[Mahayana]] Buddhism. It was brought to Japan by the monk [[Saichō]]. An important element of Tendai doctrine was the suggestion that enlightenment was accessible to "every creature".<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 60.</ref> Saichō also sought independent ordination for Tendai monks.<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 61.</ref> A close relationship developed between the Tendai monastery complex on [[Mount Hiei]] and the imperial court in its new capital at the foot of the mountain. As a result, Tendai emphasized great reverence for the emperor and the nation. [[Emperor Kanmu]] himself was a notable patron of the otherworldly Tendai sect, which rose to great power over the ensuing centuries.

Shingon is the Japanese version of the Zhenyen school from China, which is based on [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism. It was brought to Japan by the monk [[Kūkai]]. Shingon Buddhism emphasizes the use of symbols, rituals, incantations and mandalas, which gave it a wide appeal.<ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 65.</ref> Kūkai greatly impressed the emperors who succeeded Emperor Kammu, and also generations of Japanese, not only with his holiness but also with his poetry, calligraphy, painting, and sculpture. Both Kūkai and Saichō aimed to connect state and religion and establish support from the aristocracy, leading to the notion of "aristocratic Buddhism".<ref>Weinstein 1999.</ref><ref>Kitagawa 1966 p. 59.</ref>

===Literature===
Although written [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (''[[kanbun]]'') remained the official language of the Heian period imperial court, the introduction and widespread use of [[kana]] saw a boom in [[Japanese literature]]. Despite the establishment of several new literary genres such as the [[novel]] and narrative ''[[monogatari]]'' (物語) and essays, [[literacy]] was only common among the court and [[Buddhist]] clergy.

Poetry, in particular, was a staple of court life. Nobles and ladies-in-waiting were expected to be well versed in the art of writing poetry as a mark of their status. Every occasion could call for the writing of a verse, from the birth of a child to the coronation of an emperor, or even a pretty scene of nature. A well-written poem could easily make or break one's reputation, and often was a key part of social interaction.<ref>Morris 1964 pp. 180, 182.</ref> Almost as important was the choice of calligraphy, or handwriting, used. The Japanese of this period believed handwriting could reflect the condition of a person's soul: therefore, poor or hasty writing could be considered a sign of poor breeding. Whether the script was Chinese or Japanese, good writing and artistic skill were paramount to social reputation when it came to poetry. [[Sei Shōnagon]] mentions in her ''[[Pillow Book]]'' that when a certain courtier tried to ask her advice about how to write a poem to the [[Fujiwara no Teishi|Empress Sadako]], she had to politely rebuke him because his writing was so poor.<ref>Morris 1964 pp. 183–184.</ref>

The lyrics of the modern Japanese national anthem, ''[[Kimigayo]]'', were written in the Heian period, as was ''[[The Tale of Genji]]'' by [[Murasaki Shikibu]], which was extremely important to the Heian court, and one of the first [[novel]]s ever written. Murasaki Shikibu's contemporary and rival Sei Shōnagon's revealing observations and musings as an attendant in the Empress' court were recorded collectively as ''The Pillow Book'' in the 990s, which revealed the quotidian capital lifestyle.<ref>Morris 1964 p. xiv.</ref> The Heian period produced a flowering of poetry including works of [[Ariwara no Narihira]], [[Ono no Komachi]], [[Izumi Shikibu]], Murasaki Shikibu, [[Saigyō]] and [[Fujiwara no Teika]]. The famous Japanese poem known as the [[Iroha]] (いろは), of uncertain authorship, was also written during the Heian period.

===Beauty===
During the Heian period, beauty was widely considered an important part of what made one a "good" person. In cosmetic terms, aristocratic men and women powdered their faces and blackened their teeth, the latter termed ''[[ohaguro]]''. The male courtly ideal included a faint [[mustache]] and thin [[goatee]], while women's mouths were painted small and red, and their eyebrows were plucked or shaved and redrawn higher on the forehead (''[[hikimayu]]'').

Women cultivated shiny, black flowing hair and a courtly woman's formal dress included a complex "twelve-layered robe" called ''[[jūnihitoe]]'', though the actual number of layers varied. Costumes were determined by office and season, with a woman's robes, in particular, following a system of color combinations representing flowers, plants, and animals specific to a season or month, (see the Japanese Wikipedia entries [[:ja:色目|''irome'']] and [[:ja:襲の色目|''kasane-no-irome'']]).<ref>Toby 2009 p. 31.</ref>