Taira no Kiyomori
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Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and kugyō of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.
Taira no Kiyomori
Taira no Kiyomori in his later years, in book illustration by Kikuchi Yōsai
Taira no Kiyomori's signature (kaō).
While suffering from a fever, Taira no Kiyomori is confronted by a vision of hell and the ghosts of his victims, in an 1883 print by Yoshitoshi.
Heian period
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The Heian period is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō. Heian (平安) means 'peace' in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court, noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Two syllabaries unique to Japan, katakana and hiragana, emerged during this time. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court women who were not as educated in Chinese as their male counterparts.
An illustrated scroll of the Tale of Genji by the 11th century writer Murasaki Shikibu
Miniature model of Heian-kyō, the capital during the Heian period
Byōdō-in ("Phoenix Hall"), built in the 11th century (Uji, Kyoto)
Section of a handscroll depicting a scene from the "Bamboo River" chapter of the Tale of Genji, c. 1130