Fujiwara

(proper noun)

A powerful family of regents in Japan, which originated when the founder, Nakatomi no Kamatari (614-669), was rewarded by Emperor Tenji with the honorific name.

Related Terms

Examples of Fujiwara in the following topics:

  • Influence of Buddhism in the Heian Period

    • This branch of Buddhism became popular in Japan during the Fujiwara regency (794–1185), named for the powerful clan that dominated Japanese politics in the middle Heian period.
    • The Fujiwara family, then the most powerful in the country, ruled as regents for the Emperor, effectively becoming hereditary civil dictators.
    • The Hō-ō-dō (Phoenix Hall, completed in 1053) of the Byōdō-in, a temple in Uji to the southeast of Kyoto, is one of the finest examples of Fujiwara Amida halls.
    • The Phoenix Hall of the Byōdō-in is an exampla of Fujiwara Amida halls.
    • The Raigo image was introduced in Japan by the Pure Land School of Art during the Fujiwara Regency.

  • Painting and Calligraphy in the Heian Period

    • The authentically Japanese wayō (和) style, or wayō-shodō (和), is considered to be founded by Ono no Michikaze (894-966 CE), one of the so-called sanseki (三, "Three Brush Traces"), along with Fujiwara no Sukemasa and Fujiwara no Yukinari.

  • Japanese Calligraphy in the Kamakura Period

    • In terms of wayō (和様) style of calligraphy, the works of Fujiwara no Shunzei and Fujiwara no Teika are considered outstanding examples of the late Heian and early Kamakura Periods.

  • Art of Esoteric Buddhism

    • By the middle of the Heian period, the powerful Fujiwara clan dominated political and cultural affairs and formal trade with China ended, allowing for the development of indigenous cultural forms.