The Heian Period: Golden Age of Culture

The selection of the site for the new capital reflected careful consideration of both practical and symbolic factors that would establish the foundations for the remarkable cultural achievements that would follow. Located in a natural basin surrounded by mountains and blessed with abundant water from several rivers, the site offered strategic advantages including natural defenses, fertile agricultural land, and convenient water transportation that would support a large urban population. The choice also represented a conscious break from the Buddhist institutional power that had come to dominate Nara, as Emperor Kammu sought to escape the political influence of powerful Buddhist monasteries that had threatened imperial authority during the preceding decades.