Heian

American  

[hey-ahn] / ˈheɪˈɑn /

adjective

1. of or relating to the period in Japan, a.d. 794–1185, characterized by the modification and naturalization of ideas and institutions that were earlier introduced from China.

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Etymology

Origin of Heian

1890–95; < Japanese heian, earlier feian < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese píngān peace

Example Sentences

One day last month, it took Hiroshi Ban six hours — twice as long as usual — to visit Kyoto’s Heian Jingu shrine.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

Katano hopes the play will appeal to diverse audiences, from those who’ve never heard of the Heian period to Japanese people revisiting high school history.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

Widely considered the world’s first novel, Genji was composed in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman and lady-in-waiting in the Heian Court.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Now it was insipid and muddy to her tongue, like the pools of the temples of Heian Kyō when the Office of Gardens and Ponds had them drained for cleaning.

From The Guardian • Nov. 27, 2019

Turning to the inner life of the people in the Heian epoch, we may say with little fear of exaggeration that the most notable thing was the increase of superstition.

From A History of the Japanese People From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era by Brinkley, F. (Frank)