tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post5223567654348321817..comments2023-04-27T04:39:45.647-04:00Comments on JT Thinks About Stuff: Book Review: The World of the Shining PrinceJThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-74673709621130783982019-04-11T20:55:56.336-04:002019-04-11T20:55:56.336-04:00It's complicated. As I understand it, the empe...It's complicated. As I understand it, the emperor and government in the Heian period were almost purely ceremonial. Real power was exercised by the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwaras split into factions, internal problems multiplied (and went unaddressed), Kyoto was sacked by monks from Mount Hiei, and eventually the much-despised military provincials marched in and took over. The succeeding period had a drastically different ethos. Among other things, women's status declined sharply.JThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12170062950345779215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119816335163312523.post-53908561503236842342019-04-11T01:29:48.749-04:002019-04-11T01:29:48.749-04:00Despite the fact that I live here, I've never ...Despite the fact that I live here, I've never properly studied Japanese history. I'm sure I've absorbed a lot over the years through osmosis, I suppose. It seems like a very decadent time. Yet, the culture doesn't seem to have deteriorated like other decadent cultures (I'm imagining Rome). seanovanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00288825590780391411noreply@blogger.com