The Heian Period

In the Heian period Japanese culture came into its own. The powerful Buddhist temples in Nara and Heian continued to send acolytes to China to study the religion. A conscious effort was made to free Japan from the excessive dependence on Tang China, especially in literature, where the most significant developments had occurred. There were also notable paintings of Buddhist deities during the Heian period. In the realm of architecture, too, a distinctly Japanese style began to appear in the construction of Buddhist temples in the early Heian era. At the end of the Heian period, the excessive reliance on magical formulae contributed to the outbreak of dissident groups that rejected esoteric Buddhism, offering a "purer" way to salvation. Buddhism was becoming increasingly formalistic during the Heian period. By the twelfth century the Taira and Minamoto families, two major military houses claiming direct descent from emperors of the Heian period, came to dominate the outlying regions.