The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto.It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height.The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature.
©1996 -2013 womeninworldhistory.com. Heian (Hey-on) Japan was the high point of Japanese aristocratic culture, a golden age of peace and harmony. The attitudes and aesthetic of court life established in this period continued many years after the emperor and his court lost power to the warring samurai.  The new capital was established in Heian-kyo (capital of peace and tranquility, now known as Kyoto) in 794. Like Nara, it was laid out according to a grid pattern, following the Chinese precedent. Kyoto remained the nation's capital, albeit at times in name only, until 1867. In Kyoto, the court enjoyed a relatively long period of peace and political strength lasting nearly 400 years, until 1185. The period ended in 1573 when the 15th and last shogun of this line, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was driven out of the capital in Kyoto by Oda Nobunaga. From a cultural perspective, the period can be divided into the Kitayama and Higashiyama periods (later 15th-early 16th). The early years from 1336 to 1392 of the Muromachi period are known as the Nanboku-chō or Northern and Southern Court period. This period is marked by the continued resistance of the supporters of Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor behind the Kenmu Restoration. The years from 1465 to the end of the Muromachi period are also known as the Sengoku period or Warring States period. The Heian period (平安時代, Heian jidai) is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic family who had intermarried with the imperial family. Many emperors actually had mothers from the Fujiwara family. Heian (平安) means peace in Japanese. The Nara period was marked by struggles over the throne and which of the clans would control that throne. In order to quiet these disturbances, the capital was moved in 795 to modern-day Kyoto, which at that time was give the name Heian-kyo, or city of peace and tranquility.  During the Heian period, an imperial court based in the capital of Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto) wielded the highest political authority in the land. The city’s name means “Capital of Peace and Tranquility,” and the Heian period is usually remembered as having been an age of art, literature, and culture. Japan has a long history. Archaeological evidence shows that people have lived in the Japanese islands since prehistoric times, and written records from almost 1,700 years ago describe primitive societies in the archipelago. To make this long history more manageable, historians break it up into periods The Heian Period in the history of Japan is often referred to as the golden age. It lasted from the 9th through the 12th centuries and preceded the medieval era of shoguns and samurai. The Heian Age was characterized by relative peace and stability and a central government in the capital, Heian-kyo, by an emperor and the court aristocracy. It is the historical background for both the Akitada mystery series (11th century) and the novel The Hollow Reed (12th century) The Heian period (平安時代) is the last division of classical Japanese history that runs from 794 to 1185. The Heian period is considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art and especially in poetry and literature. The name heian is a word that means peace in Japanese. History. The Heian period is preceded by the Nara period and began in 794 after the movement of the capital of Japanese civilisation to Heiankyō (present-day Kyoto) by the 50th emperor Kammu.
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/Heian9.html http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/heia/hd_heia.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muromachi_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period http://www.shibuiswords.com/heianjapan.htm http://www.colorado.edu/CAS/TEA/curriculum/imaging-japanese-history/heian/essay.html http://www.ijparker.com/about_heian_japan.htm http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/site/heian_period_article.html
why was the heian period given its name