HEIAN PERIOD: A period in Japanese history (794-1185) during which the imperial capital was at Heiankyo (present-day KYOTO). An era of remarkable cultural advancement, it saw literature, painting, and architecture reaching new heights. Diarists such as Sei Shonagon described court life and the novelist Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote the TALE OF GENJI, considered to be the first novel in any language. During the Heian period, the emperors lost most of their power to the FUJIWARA CLAN, who ruled as regents and civil dictators. The Fujiwara family was replaced by the Taira family in the final years of the Heian period. (See also Japan article).
