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Heian Shrine

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The Heian-jingu Shrine ( 平安神宮 , Heian-jingū ) is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku, Kyoto , Japan . The Shrine is ranked as a Beppyō Jinja ( 別表神社 ) (the top rank for shrines) by the Association of Shinto Shrines . It is listed as an important cultural property of Japan.

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71-505: In 1895, a partial reproduction of the Heian Palace from Heian-kyō (the former name of Kyoto ) was planned for construction for the 1100th anniversary of the establishment of Heian-kyō. The Industrial exposition fair (an exhibition of development of Japanese and foreign cultures) was held in Kyoto that year, where the replica was to be the main monument. However, failure to buy enough land where

142-481: A garden in the north and was used for flower-viewing and other banquets before becoming residential space for imperial consorts in the 10th century. It also housed the editorial team of the first imperial waka poetry collection Kokinshū . After the Dairi was rebuilt following a fire in 960, the regular residence of the emperors moved to the smaller Seiryōden ( 清涼殿 ) , an east-facing building located immediately to

213-657: A generally stable design from the 7th century onwards. It was also called the Court of the Eight Ministries ( 八省院 , Hasshō-in ) as the corresponding compounds of the earlier Naniwa-kyō and Nagaoka-kyō palaces, which had eight halls in the central courtyard; however, as the Heian Palace compound had 12 halls, the traditional name was somewhat misleading, and the more accurate Court of the Twelve Halls ( 十二堂院 , Jūnidō-in )

284-541: A large, walled, rectangular Greater Palace (the Daidairi ), which contained several ceremonial and administrative buildings including the government ministries. Inside this enclosure was the separately walled residential compound of the emperor , or the Inner Palace ( Dairi ). In addition to the emperor's living quarters, the Inner Palace contained the residences of the imperial consorts and buildings more closely linked to

355-539: A law allowing the ownership for three generations of newly arable fields was promulgated in 723 (三世一身の法, Sanze-isshin Law ) and then without limits in 743 (墾田永年私財法, Konden Einen Shizai Law ). This led to the appearance of large private lands, the first shōens . Strict application of the Handen-Shūju system decayed in the 8th and 9th century. In an attempt to maintain the system, the period between each collection/distribution

426-594: A setting in many Heian period literary texts, both fiction and non-fiction. These provide important information on the palace itself, court ceremonies and functions held there and everyday routines of the courtiers living or working there. Notable examples include the Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu , the so-called Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon and the chronicles Eiga Monogatari and Ōkagami . In addition, paintings in certain emakimono picture scrolls depict (sometimes fictional) scenes that took place at

497-582: The Chūwain ( 中和院 ) —a walled area of Shinto buildings associated with the emperor's religious functions, situated to the west of the Dairi itself, at the geographic centre of the Greater Palace. The formal entrance to the larger enclosure was the gate Kenreimon ( 建礼門 ) , located directly south of the Dairi. The Dairi proper, the residential compound of the emperor, was enclosed within another set of walls to

568-506: The Jidai Matsuri , which is one of the most important festivals of Kyoto. The procession of this festival begins at the old Imperial palace, and includes carrying the mikoshi (portable shrines) of Emperors Kanmu and Kōmei to the Heian-jingū. The Shrine is also used for traditional Japanese weddings as well as concerts. It is rare for a modern concert to be held at a historic site like

639-533: The Buraku-in . The Buraku-in also fell gradually into disuse as many functions were moved to the Dairi . It was destroyed in at 1063 and not rebuilt. Unlike most of the palace, the Buraku-in site was subjected to some archaeological excavations in the twentieth century. Apart from the Inner Palace, the remaining area of the Greater Palace was occupied by ministries, lesser offices, workshops, storage buildings and

710-449: The Dairi was built in a more intimate Japanese architectural style—though still on a grand scale. The Inner Palace represented a variant of the shinden-style architecture used in the aristocratic villas and houses of the period. The buildings, with unpainted surfaces and gabled and shingled cypress bark roofs, were raised on elevated wooden platforms and connected to each other with covered and uncovered slightly elevated passages. Between

781-596: The Dairi , occupying buildings in the northern part of the enclosure. The most prestigious buildings, housing the empress and the official consorts, were the ones that had appropriate locations for such use according to the Chinese design principles – the Kokiden ( 弘徽殿 ) , the Reikeiden ( 麗景殿 ) and the Jōneiden ( 常寧殿 ) – as well as the ones closest to the imperial residence in

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852-581: The Imperial Court in Kyoto , trying to replicate China 's rigorous political system from the Tang dynasty , created and enforced some collections of Ritsuryō. Over the course of centuries, the ritsuryō state produced more and more information which was carefully archived; however, with the passage of time in the Heian period, ritsuryō institutions evolved into a political and cultural system without feedback. In 645,

923-592: The Imperial Regalia of Japan , the emperor's replica of the sacred mirror , was housed in the Unmeiden hall ( 温明殿 ) of the Dairi . The present-day Kyoto Imperial Palace , located in what was the north-eastern corner of Heian-kyō , reproduces much of the Heian-period Dairi . Ritsury%C5%8D Ritsuryō ( 律令 , Japanese: [ɾitsɯɾʲoː] ) is the historical legal system based on

994-696: The Seiryōden (the Kōryōden ( 後涼殿 ) and the Fujitsubo ( 藤壷 ) ). Lesser consorts and ladies-in-waiting as well as occasionally some of the crown prince's consorts occupied other buildings of the Dairi further away from the emperor's quarters, i.e., towards north-east. A famous fictional depiction of the spatial status hierarchy concerns the eponymous character's low-ranking mother in The Tale of Genji . However, such distinctions were apparently not always strict. One of

1065-558: The Shishinden stood the Jijūden ( 仁寿殿 ) , a similarly constructed hall of somewhat smaller size that was originally intended to function as the emperor's living quarters. Beginning in the ninth century, the emperors often chose to reside in other buildings of the Dairi . A third smaller hall, the Shōkyōden ( 承香殿 ) was located next to the north along the main axis of the Dairi . It faced

1136-549: The Taika reforms were the first signs of implementation of the system. Major re-statements of Ritsuryō included the following: In the later half of the seventh century, the Kokugunri system ( 国郡里制 , kokugunri-sei ) was introduced, dividing the regions of Japan into several administrative divisions. In 715 CE, the Gōri system ( 郷里制 , gōri-sei ) was introduced, resulting in

1207-489: The Yōmeimon in the east, appears to have been guarded. Hence burglary and even violent crime became a problem within the palace by the first half of 11th century. Fires were a constant problem as the palace compound was constructed almost entirely of wood. The Buraku-in was destroyed by a fire in 1063 and was never rebuilt. The Daigokuden was reconstructed after fires in 876, 1068 and in 1156 despite its limited use. After

1278-410: The Greater Palace began to be regarded as increasingly unsafe, especially by night. One reason may be the prevalent superstition of the period: uninhabited buildings were avoided for fear of spirits and ghosts, and even the great Buraku-in compound was thought to be haunted. In addition, the level of security maintained at the palace went into decline, and by the early 11th century only one palace gate,

1349-472: The Greater Palace was located in the middle of the present-day Nijō Castle . Less than ten years after a presumably politically motivated move of the capital from Heijō-kyō ( 平城京 ) (on the site of present-day Nara ) to Nagaoka-kyō ( 長岡京 ) (approx. 10 kilometers to the south-west of Kyoto), Emperor Kanmu decided to move the capital again, likely due to frequent flooding of the Nagaoka-kyō site. In 794

1420-639: The Greater Palace were the Official Compound ( 朝堂院 , Chōdō-in ) , the Reception Compound ( 豊楽院 , Buraku-in ) and the Inner Palace ( 内裏 , Dairi ) . The Chōdō-in was a rectangular walled enclosure situated directly to the north of the Suzakumon gate in the centre of the southern wall of the Greater Palace. It was based on Chinese models and followed Chinese architectural styles. Archaeological evidence from earlier capital palaces shows

1491-561: The Heian Palace used to stand, the building was built in Okazaki at 5/8 scale of the original. The Heian-jingū was built according to designs by Itō Chūta . After the Exhibition ended, the building was kept as a shrine in memory of the 50th Emperor, Emperor Kanmu , who was the Emperor when Heian-kyō became the capital. In 1940, Emperor Kōmei was added to the list of dedication. In 1976, part of

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1562-709: The Heian period, and the New Year celebrations were abbreviated and moved into the Dairi by the end of the 10th century, leaving the Accession Audiences (where the accession of a new emperor was proclaimed to the wider officialdom) and certain Buddhist ceremonials as the only ones held in the Chōdō-in . The main building within the Chōdō-in was the Great Audience Hall ( 大極殿 , Daigokuden ) , which faced south from

1633-457: The Inner Palace and used for ceremonies held on the emperor's behalf. Apart from Tō-ji and Sai-ji , it was the only Buddhist establishment permitted within the capital. Permission to build it inside the palace, granted in 834, shows the influence of the Shingon sect during the early Heian Period. The Dairi , or Inner Palace, was located to the north-east of the Chōdō-in somewhat to

1704-410: The Inner Palace. From the mid-Heian period, the palace suffered several fires and other disasters. During reconstructions, emperors and some of the office functions resided outside the palace. This, along with the general loss of political power of the court, acted to further diminish the importance of the palace as the administrative centre. In 1227 the palace burned down and was never rebuilt. The site

1775-579: The Shrine caught on fire, and nine of the buildings, including the honden , or main sanctuary, burned down. Three years later, the burned buildings were reconstructed with money collected from donations. The architecture design was a reproduction of the Chōdōin (Emperor's palace in the former eras) in 5/8th scale (in length). The large red entrance gate is a reproduction of the Outenmon of the Chōdōin. The architecture of

1846-521: The buildings and passages were gravel yards and small gardens. The largest building of the Dairi was the Throne Hall ( 紫宸殿 , Shishinden ) , a building reserved for official functions . It was a rectangular hall measuring approximately 30 m (98 ft) east to west and 25 m (82 ft) north to south. Along with its accompanying rectangular courtyard, the Shishinden was situated along

1917-515: The children of high-ranking public officials were nonetheless granted a minimal rank. This provision (蔭位の制 on'i no sei ) existed in the Tang law, however under the Japanese ritsuryo ranks for which it was applied were higher as well as the ranks obtained by the children. The highest rank in the system was the first rank (一位 ichi-i ), proceeding downwards to the eighth rank (八位 hachi-i ), held by menials in

1988-544: The city that increasingly functioned as a temporary imperial residence and eventually developed into new permanent palace. The ruined site of Jingi-kan (the government department responsible for worship of the native kami ) is the longest-surviving known part of the Heian palace and apparently remained in some use until 1585. While the palace itself has been completely destroyed, a significant amount of information regarding it has been obtained from contemporary and almost contemporary sources. The Heian Palace figures as

2059-468: The compound was occupied by a courtyard surrounded symmetrically by the Twelve Halls, where the bureaucracy assembled for court ceremonies and was seated according to strict order of precedence . The Heian Jingū shrine in Kyoto includes an apparently faithful reconstruction of the Daigokuden in somewhat reduced scale. The Buraku-in was another large rectangular Chinese-style compound, situated to

2130-411: The conduct of great affairs of state, and the accompanying ceremonies. While the residential function of the palace continued until the 12th century, the facilities built for grand state ceremonies began to fall into disuse by the 9th century. This was due to both the abandonment of several statutory ceremonies and procedures and the transfer of several remaining ceremonies into the smaller-scale setting of

2201-413: The court moved into this new capital of Heian-kyō , where it was to stay for more than 1000 years. The palace was the first and most important structure to be erected at the new capital, but it was not completely ready by the time of the move; the Great Audience Hall ( 大極殿 , Daigokuden ) was completed in 795, and the government office in charge of its construction was disbanded in 805, though work on

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2272-401: The court whose functions had little to do with those kinds of powers and responsibilities which are conventionally associated with governing – for example: A global system of ranking for all public posts (官 kan , 官職 kanshoku ) was introduced with over 30 ranks (位 i , 位階 ikai ), regulating strictly which posts could be accessed by which rank. Ranking was supposed to be mostly merit-based,

2343-563: The court. Below this, an initial rank called so-i (初位) existed, but offered few rights. The top six ranks were considered true aristocracy (貴 ki ), and were subdivided into "senior" (正 shō ) and "junior" (従 ju ) ranks (e.g. senior third-rank [正三位 shō san-mi ], junior second-rank [従二位 ju ni-i ]). Below the third rank, a further subdivision between "upper" (上 jō ) and "lower" (下 ge ) existed, allowing for ranks such as “junior fourth rank lower” (従四位下 ju shi-i no ge ) or “senior sixth rank upper” (正六位上 shō roku-i no jō ). Promotion in ranks

2414-408: The earlier capital Heijō-kyō (in present-day Nara ) and the short-lived interim capital of Nagaoka-kyō . The main entrance to the palace was the gate Suzakumon ( 35°0′49″N 135°44′32″E  /  35.01361°N 135.74222°E  / 35.01361; 135.74222 ), which formed the northern terminus of the great Suzaku Avenue , which ran through the centre of the city from

2485-555: The east of the Chūwain . It measured approximately 215 m (710 ft) north to south and 170 m (560 ft) east to west. The main gate was the Shōmeimon gate ( 承明門 ) at the centre of the southern wall of the Dairi enclosure, immediately to the north of the Kenreimon gate. In contrast to the solemn, official, Chinese-style architecture of the Chōdō-in and the Buraku-in ,

2556-447: The east of the central north-south axis of the Greater Palace. Its central feature was the Throne Hall. The Dairi encompassed the emperor's living quarters and the pavilions of the imperial consorts and ladies-in-waiting (collectively, the Kōkyū ). It was enclosed within two sets of walls. In addition to the Dairi itself, the outer walls enclosed some household offices, storage areas, and

2627-407: The following. This system was abandoned in 740 CE. The ritsuryō system also established a central administrative government, with the emperor at its head. Two departments were set up: Posts of those public Departments were all divided into four ranks ( shitō ): kami (長官), suke (次官), jō (判官) and sakan (主典). This ubiquitous pattern would be replicated consistently, even amongst members of

2698-414: The gate Rashōmon . The palace thus faced south and presided over the symmetrical urban plan of Heian-kyō . In addition to the Suzakumon , the palace had 13 other gates located symmetrically along the side walls. A major avenue led to each of the gates, except for the three along the northern side of the palace, which was coterminous with the northern boundary of the city. The south-eastern corner of

2769-453: The hands of most powerful families (in particular the Fujiwara) and new extralegal offices (such as Chamberlain's Office ( 蔵人所 , Kurōdodokoro ) , see below). Pertly as the consequence of these developments the real administrative centre of the complex moved gradually to the emperors residential Inner Palace, or Dairi . As activity was concentrated in the Dairi , other sections of

2840-531: The large open space of the Banqueting Pine Grove ( 宴の松原 , En no Matsubara ) to the west of the Dairi . The buildings of the Council of State ( 太政官 , Daijōkan ) were situated in a walled enclosure immediately to the east of the Chōdō-in , laid out in the typical symmetrical plan of buildings opening to a courtyard in the south. The Shingon-in ( 真言院 , Shingon Chapel ) was built right next to

2911-536: The main palace mirrors the style and features of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the style from the 11th–12th century (late Heian Period). The Shrine's torii is one of the largest in Japan. The Japanese-style garden takes up about half the land area (approximately 33,060 m or 355,900 sq ft). Renowned gardener Ogawa Jihei VII , also known as Ueji, created the garden over a 20-year period. The water used in

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2982-416: The major fire of 1177 destroyed much of the Greater Palace, the Daigokuden was never rebuilt. Starting in 960, the Dairi was also repeatedly destroyed by fires, but it was always rebuilt, and it continued to be used as the official imperial residence until the late 12th century. According to historian William H. McCullough, the Dairi fires were frequent enough that arson is "generally assumed". During

3053-480: The median north-south axis of the Dairi , facing the Shōmeimon gate. A tachibana orange tree and a cherry tree stood symmetrically on both sides of the front staircase of the building. The courtyard was flanked on both sides by smaller halls connected to the Shishinden , creating the same configuration of buildings (influenced by Chinese examples) that was found in the aristocratic shinden -style villas of

3124-549: The new imperial residence occupied the site of a former Hata leader's residence. Two of the most important official sections of the palace complex, the grand Chinese-style Official Compound ( 朝堂院 , Chōdō-in ) and Reception Compound ( 豊楽院 , Buraku-in ) , started to fall into disuse quite early on. This paralleled the decline of the elaborate Chinese-inspired ritsuryō government processes and bureaucracy, many of which were gradually either abandoned or reduced to empty forms while de facto decision making moved into

3195-478: The north-west from Shishinden . Gradually the Seiryōden began to be used increasingly for meetings as well, with emperors spending much of their time in this part of the palace. The busiest part of the building was the Courtiers' Hall ( 殿上間 , Tenjōnoma ) , where high-ranking nobles came to meet in the presence of the emperor. The empress and other official and unofficial imperial consorts were also housed in

3266-422: The northern end of the compound. This was a large (approximately 52 m (170 ft) east to west and 20 m (65 ft) north to south ) Chinese-style building with white walls, vermilion pillars and green tiled roofs, intended for most important state ceremonies and functions. The smaller southern section of the Chōdō-in consisted of waiting rooms for senior officials, while the largest middle section of

3337-505: The official government procedures described in the ritsuryō code was the establishment of a personal secretariat to the emperor, the Chamberlain's Office ( 蔵人所 , Kurōdodokoro ) . This office, which increasingly took over the role of coordinating the work of government organs, was set up in the Kyōshōden ( 校書殿 ) , the hall to the south-west of the Shishinden . To the north of

3408-409: The original palace complex was abandoned and emperors resided in smaller palaces (the former sato-dairi ) within the city and villas outside it. In 1227 a fire destroyed what remained of the Dairi , and the old Greater Palace went into essentially complete disuse. In 1334 Emperor Go-Daigo issued an edict to rebuild the Greater Palace, but no resources were available to support this and the project

3479-463: The palace and similar aristocratic dwellings; the Genji Monogatari Emaki , dating from about 1130, is perhaps the best-known example. There are also partially damaged maps of the palace from the 10th and 12th centuries showing the layout and function of the buildings within the Dairi . Modern archaeological study of the palace site has been hampered by the development of urban Kyoto over

3550-581: The palace ground ruins, but a few parts have been excavated, including the Burakuden. The Daidairi was a walled rectangular area extending approximately 1.4 kilometres (0.87 mi) from north to south between the first and second major east–west avenues Ichijō ōji ( 一条大路 ) and Nijō ōji ( 二条大路 ) and 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) from west to east between the Nishi Ōmiya ōji ( 西大宮大路 ) and Ōmiya ōji ( 大宮大路 ) north-south avenues. The three main structures within

3621-447: The period. The Shishinden was used for official functions and ceremonies that were not held at the Daigokuden of the Chōdō-in complex. It took over much of the intended use of the larger and more formal building from an early date, as the daily business of government ceased to be conducted in the presence of the emperor in the Daigokuden already at the beginning of the ninth century. Connected to this diminishing reliance on

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3692-436: The periods of rebuilding, the emperors frequently had to stay at their secondary palaces ( 里内裏 , sato-dairi ) within the city. Often these secondary palaces were provided by the powerful Fujiwara family, which especially in the latter part of the Heian period exercised de facto control of politics by providing consorts to successive emperors. Thus the residences of the emperors' maternal grandparents started to usurp

3763-419: The person of the emperor. The original role of the palace was to manifest the centralised government model adopted by Japan from China in the 7th century – known as the ritsuryō system, where the bureaucracy under the emperor was headed by the great council of state ( Daijō-kan ) and its subsidiary Eight Ministries. The palace was designed to provide an appropriate setting for the emperor's residence,

3834-468: The philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan . The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). Kyaku (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, Shiki (式) are enactments. Ritsuryō defines both a criminal code ( 律 , Ritsu ) and an administrative code ( 令 , Ryō ) . During the late Asuka period (late 6th century – 710) and Nara period (710–794),

3905-426: The place was still incomplete. Construction of the palace and imperial family residences was a major expenditure for Kanmu's administration, accounting for the majority of revenues gathered during his reign, according to a 10th-century source. The powerful immigrant Hata family may have influenced and financially supported the decision to move the capital to Heian-kyō, closer to its power base. Later sources claim that

3976-564: The ponds comes from the Lake Biwa Canal . Species otherwise rare in Japan such as Acheilognathus cyanostigma , the Yellow pond turtle and the Japanese pond turtle live around the ponds. Visitors may feed the fish and turtles with food sold around the ponds. Annual festivals celebrate the memory of Emperor Kōmei (late January) and Emperor Kanmu (early April). On October 22, Heian-jingū hosts

4047-403: The provinces, increased dramatically as one advanced in rank. The average sixth-rank official might earn 22 koku of rice a year, but the fifth rank might earn 225 koku of rice, while a third rank official could earn as much as 6,957 a year. Registration of the citizens (戸籍 koseki ), updated every 6 years, and a yearly tax book (計帳 keichō ) were established. Based on the keichō , a tax system

4118-459: The rebuilding of portions of the palace as part of an effort to reclaim more power to the emperor and restart some ceremonial practices. Go-Shirakawa soon abdicated in favor of his son, Emperor Nijo , and both were attacked and held captive in the palace during the Heiji rebellion . They escaped a few weeks later, and forces loyal to them retook the palace and ended the rebellion. After a fire in 1177,

4189-478: The registration, each citizen over 6 was entitled to a "distributed field" ( 口分田 , kubunden ) , subject to taxation (approx. 3% of crops). The area of each field was 2 tan ( 段 ) for men (approx. 22 ares total), and two-thirds of this amount for women. (However, the Shinuhi and Kenin castes were only entitled to 1/3 of this area). The field was returned to the country at death. Land belonging to shrines and temples

4260-423: The residential role of the palace even before the end of the Heian period. The institution of rule by retired emperors, or the insei system (cloistered rule ( 院政 ) ), from 1086 further added to the declining importance of the palace, as retired emperors exercised power from their own residential palaces inside and outside the city. In the aftermath of the 1156 Hōgen rebellion , Emperor Go-Shirakawa ordered

4331-720: The shrine, but merging modern and old culture in Kyoto has become a trend. Adjacent to the Shrine is Okazaki Park , where visitors can learn about culture. The Shrine is surrounded by the Kyoto Prefectural Library , Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art , the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto , Kyoto Kaikan , and the Kyoto City Zoo . Parts of the 2003 film Lost in Translation were filmed there. Heian Palace The Heian Palace ( 平安宮 , Heian-kyū )

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4402-407: The west of the Chōdō-in . It was built for official celebrations and banquets and used also for other types of entertainment such as archery contests. Like the Chōdō-in , the Buraku-in had a hall at the central northern end of the enclosure overseeing the court. This hall, the Burakuden ( 豊楽殿 , Hall of Abundant Pleasures ) , was used by the emperor and courtiers presiding over activities in

4473-445: Was also used. Originally the Chōdō-in was intended as the setting where the emperor was to preside over regular early morning deliberations on major state affairs by the bureaucracy, receive monthly reports from officials, hold New Year congratulations and receive foreign ambassadors. However, the practice of the morning deliberations ceased by 810 as did the monthly reports. Foreign ambassadors were no longer received for most of

4544-695: Was based on the Ten Abominations of the Tang code, but two crimes related to family life—family discord and disruption of the family (through incest, adultery, etc.) —were removed. In accordance with Chinese legal codes, land as well as citizens were to be "public property" (公地公民). One of the major pillars of the Ritsuryō was the introduction of the Handen-Shūju (班田収受制) system, similar to the equal-field system in China. The Handen-Shūju regulated land ownership. Based on

4615-461: Was built over so that almost no trace of it remains. Knowledge of the palace is thus based on contemporary literary sources, surviving diagrams and paintings, and limited excavations. The palace was located at the northern centre of the rectangular city Heian-kyō , following the Chinese model of the Tang dynasty capital of Chang'an . The model had been adopted already for the Heijō Palace in

4686-607: Was established called (租庸調 So-yō-chō ). Tax was levied on rice crops but also on several local products (e.g. cotton, salt, tissue) sent to the capital. The system also established local corvée at a provincial level by orders of the kokushi (国司), a corvée at the Capital (although the corvée at the capital could be replaced by goods sent) and military service. A criminal system was introduced, with five levels of punishment ( 五刑 , gokei ) . It defined eight heavy crimes ( 八虐 , hachigyaku ) that were exempt from amnesty. The code

4757-405: Was exempt from taxation. Collection and redistribution of land took place every 6 years. The population was divided in two castes, Ryōmin (良民) (furthermore divided into 4 sub-castes ) and Senmin (賤民) (divided into 5 sub-castes), the latter being close to slaves. Citizens wore different colors according to their caste. Several modifications were added over time. In order to promote cultivation,

4828-408: Was extended to 12 years under Emperor Kanmu . At the beginning of Heian period , the system was almost not enforced. The last collection/distribution took place between 902 and 903. The caste system was less and less strictly enforced. Some Ryōmin would wed Senmin to avoid taxation, and Senmin/Ryōmin children would become Ryōmin. At the end of the 9th century / beginning of the 10th, the caste system

4899-525: Was not completed. Though the Heian palace fell into total disuse, Heian-kyō remained the capital until 1868, with the name Kyoto (meaning capital city ) applied to it starting in the eleventh century. The present Kyoto Imperial Palace is located immediately to the west of the site of the Tsuchimikado Mansion ( 土御門殿 , Tsuchimikadodono ) , the Fujiwara residence in the north-eastern corner of

4970-454: Was often a very gradual, bureaucratic process, and in the early days of the Codes, one could not advance beyond sixth rank except by rare exception, thus causing a natural cut-off point between the aristocrats (fifth-rank and above [貴族 kizoku ]) and the menials (sixth-rank and below [地下 jige ]). Additionally, income in the form of koku (石, 1 koku = about 150 kilograms), or bushels of rice from

5041-456: Was the original imperial palace of Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto ), then the capital of Japan. Both the palace and the city were constructed in the late 700s and were patterned on Chinese models and designs. The palace served as the imperial residence and the administrative centre for most of the Heian period (794–1185). Located in the north-central section of the city, the palace consisted of

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