Zao Gongen, the protective deity of a Shinto-Buddhist cult called Shugendo
This statue of Zao Gongen can be seen in the East Asian Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Zao Gongen was the spirit of Mt Kimpu, which is south of Nara. He had previously been holding a thunderbolt scepter, which is now missing. The Fujiwaras, everyone’s favorite ruling clan, were among the adherents of Shugendo, a syncretic Shinto-Buddhist cult.
I know I am!
Heian literature requires a great deal of effort to translate from the original Japanese, and must be altered totally from its initial form. Why might that be, you ask? A common Heian literary conceit, which was considered elegant at the time, was the excessive overuse of a single adjective in a sentence – to the point of using a strong adjective perhaps four times in the same sentence.
Sei Shonagon in “The Pillow Book” frequently used adjectives such as “charming” over and over and over again in an anecdote. Were such a passage directly translated, the meaning of the writing would be utterly lost on a modern day reader. It would be far too boring and mind-numbingly repetitive.
On the other hand, perhaps this repetitiveness isn’t too far from the experience of the modern day literature fan. Many writers today, whether of novels, newspaper articles, or blogs, seem to re-use the same vocabulary.
I know I overuse the words ridiculous, hilarious, weird, amazing, awesome, and random. Maybe that assortment of words captures my particular take on life. Possibly I should start looking at a thesaurus every once in a while.
If anyone calls you out on your slim vocabulary or overuse of a few choice adjectives, turn the tables on them. “Oh, I do that on purpose,” you’ll say. “I find it elegant. It’s very Heian.”
They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about. You win.
An aristocratic Heian woman did not move very often. She would not have played sports, nor would she have spent time on long solitary walks. Instead, wealthy women lived extremely sedentary lives, spending much of their time sitting around, playing board games with others, practicing penmanship, or eagerly anticipating a response to a sent poem. This is yet another reason why Heian women dominated Japanese literature of the period to such a degree – there was nothing else to do but sit and write.
Sitting on the floor > than sitting on an exercise bike.
To modernize this behavior, spend your time sitting around your room. Talk to your friends on the phone or online. Start writing in a notebook or a blog. Or just feel melancholy. The choice is yours!
But whatever you do, don’t go for a jog. It’s really not very Heian.
Look at those gorgeous blackened teeth! Think they're natural?
According to my dentist’s office, teeth whitening is the most popular cosmetic surgery in America. Nothing, other than clear skin, is considered more of an indication of overall good health and thus beauty than a mouth full of shiny, bright white (porcelain or bleached) teeth. So imagine then, if you will, staining your teeth as black as possible and having that considered the epitome of beauty. It certainly was in the Heian era. White teeth were considered disgusting – reminiscent of mealworms.
Sugar gliders snacking.
The next time someone tells you that an obvious fad will always be stylish or popular, rather than arguing, just nod, smile, and imagine your friend with a mouthful of blackened teeth. It’s a timeless look – just like the lumberjack shirts of today, blackened teeth never went out of style.
There are times in life when one hires a religious figure to complete a ceremony or needed task. Whether it is a priest, pastor, rabbi, or shaman, sometimes a spiritual authority is needed and thus summoned. We expect the figure to behave with the requisite solemnity or authority of someone in such a post. However, at times this is not what happens. A minister at a wedding stumbles over the vows, or a priest sneezes from an excessive amount of incense. Hateful!
So goes another anecdote from Sei Shonagon’s Most Hateful List:
“Someone has suddenly fallen ill and one summons the exorcist. Since he is not at home, one has to send messengers to look for him. After one has had a long, fretful wait, the exorcist finally arrives, and with a sigh of relief one asks him to start his incantations. But perhaps he has been exorcising too many evil spirits lately, for hardly has he installed himself and begun praying when his voice becomes drowsy. Oh, how hateful!”
Perfect for the Heian-obsessed friends and family on your birthday or Christmas gift list, I have just found a UK website similar to Etsy or Overstock.com with an abundance of Heian items. Among the highlights is a t-shirt of an anime cartoon fox Heian princess, ladies’ shoes (Keds)with a Heian – era print of courtesans on them, and a t-shirt that says “Heian Princess”:
Nara is home to the largest Buddha in Japan, built about half a century before the Heian period officially begins.
The Heian period officially starts in 794, the year that Imperial Capital of Japan moved from Nara to Heian Kyo, or modern day Kyoto. This year is Nara’s 1300th anniversary, and there will be myriad festivals and celebrations in the city throughout the coming year.
Todaiji, the Temple housing the giant Buddhas.
Nara is a very charming small city, totally underrated in comparison to Kyoto. While it is understandable that many visitors to Kansai would bypass it in favor of the much-larger Kyoto, it’s a shame, because Nara never became a huge city and retains the feeling of a small ancient imperial capital.
Also, there are tame deer you can hand-feed buckwheat cookies. 
Get yourself some tweezers and a small pair of scissors. Recently, a make-up kit was found in a Heian tomb in Nishiwaki, Hyogo Prefecture. Inside the kit was a pair of tweezers and some shears, in addition to a small mirror from China.
Since the tomb was outside of Kansai Prefecture, and thus far from Heian Kyo, it appears that the lady may “have had a close relationship with an influential person who ruled the local area on behalf of a lord who lived in Kyoto, the capital at that time,” according to Shiro Yamashita, the Head of Public Relations for the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology in Harimacho. It’s interesting that Yamashita didn’t mention the possibility of the lady’s being the wife or daughter of a provincial governor, that much-dreaded post occupied by the father of Murasaki Shikibu and later husband of Sei Shonagon.
Why tweezers were needed.
However, one thing is certain. Whoever owned this historic make-up kit needed it for a very specific purpose: removing all of one’s noticeable body hair, eyebrows included. How else could one paint on thick, black, caterpillar-like replacements without looking silly?
What could be a better holiday present than a Kai-Awase clam shell game set with Heian poets and their particular poems hand painted on the inner shells? This evening, while feasting with friends and family or watching television, spare a moment to have an inner feeling of melancholic regret – you could have given or received THIS.
Better luck next year.
Just before Christmas, millions of people travel to visit far off relatives, and many of them will do so by car, leading to traffic and road rage. Sei’s list of “Hateful Things” provides insight into the annoyances one encountered in the Japan of 1,000 AD, and it seems that merely the rage-inducing technology has changed.
Sei complains about low quality, ill-kept carriages making irritating sounds:
“A carriage passes by with a nasty, creaking noise. Annoying to think that the passengers may not even be aware of this! If I am traveling in someone’s carriage and I hear it creaking, I dislike not only the noise but the owner of the carriage.”
Sei may appear finicky in this statement, but if one imagines traveling in an 11th century carriage, it becomes apparent that those wooden carriages would have been mind-numbingly slow, possibly traveling a few miles per hour on their wooden wheels. If a loud, creaking carriage were to approach one, it would be audible for a terribly prolon
ged period of time with no escape, and if one happened to travel in a friend’s squeaking carriage, well, it was even longer.
This holiday season, as you spend time sitting in traffic or traveling great distances, look at things from a Heian perspective. Traffic may be hateful, and you may despise the cars as well as the drivers surrounding you, or find all manner of rude behavior on the roads.
But hey – at least you can choose to ignore a car. You can’t ignore a massive squeaking carriage.
Sei Shonagon’s “Pillow Book” contains a great deal of lists on various subjects, among them things she loves or lists about nature. However, one of the lists that is most applicable today is the aptly named “Hateful Things.” Each situation presented causes one to chuckle in recognition, so relevant is it to modern times.
“One is in a hurry to leave, but one’s visitor keeps chattering away. If it is someone of no importance, one can get rid of him by saying, ‘You must tell me all about it next time’; but, should it be the sort of visitor whose presence commands one’s best behavior, the situation is hateful indeed.”
You must tell me all about it next time!
An excellent suggestion on Sei’s part. The next time someone other than a boss or perhaps mother in law keeps chattering to you when you are in a hurry, simply leave with a quick “You must tell me all about it next time!’ and a smile.
They’re hateful. You’re Heian.
From Hermes, Fall 2009
Supposedly this scarf was inspired by Heian-era art, which would be exciting, but I don’t entirely see it. The colors are very bright for an era known for introspection and melancholy, and not similar to what one would see in a Genji print. Anyone see any distinctly Heian symbols? Other than the addition of black lacquer hats on men engaging in decidedly un-Heian athletic activity, I’m at a loss.
Additionally, Fuji-san is depicted in the top left corner, but Heian aristocrats lived nearly exclusively (unless essentially banished to the outer provinces by a post as a provincial governor) Heian Kyo, which is not near Fuji-san. Mt. Hiei is frequently mentioned in Heian literature, but it does not have that same distinctive, perfectly symmetrical look.
Genji: the World's Oldest Novel. A perfect subject for a t-shirt!
Real.
Heian aristocrats were highly artistic, but remarkably disinterested in intellectual pursuits. Their lack of rational and scientific knowledge combined with belief in magic from earlier Japanese societies created a deeply superstitious people.
As such, Heian-era people believed in taboos, spirits, ritual purity, and katatagae, or changing directions to avoid harm.
Why not apply such thinking today?
The next e a friend of yours attempts to lend credence to a point with a condescending “it’s science” or “it’s fact”, try laughing in their face. You don’t believe in science! You’re Heian.
You trust magic.
