Commonly called, “The Heart of Japan” Kyoto was the center of Japan’s culture, literature, Japanese Imperial Court, and arts during it’s hayday. Looking at Japan’s long history, it was first introduced 1200 years ago as Japan’s capital during the Heian Period (794 to 1185 C.E.) as Heian-kyō meaning, "tranquility and peace capital.” The four centuries of the Heian Golden Age changed the course of Japan’s history because of the emergence of the intertwining elements such as well-renowned female writers, the rise of the Samurai, and focusing more on native avocation instead of China.
During the Ōnin War (1467-1477) the nobility, religious groups, and the samurai caused destruction in the streets of Kyoto. Not until the 16th century, did Japan’s second great unifier, Toyotomi Hideyoshi reconstructed the damage from the Ōnin War such as the burned down buildings, trenches, the fortressed mansion, etc. He rebuild new streets in the city, he abandoned the initial square block design of the capital and replaced it with rectangular blocks, and he encircled an earthwork wall called an odoi around Kyoto to protect it from enemies. Around 1864, during the Hamaguri rebellion (or the rebellion against Japan …show more content…
The categories were emperor class, the aristocratic class, commoner class, and the non-people class. On the top of the social hierarchy, the emperor class was made up of the emperor, empress, and their children. Below the emperor class were the aristocrats, families who owned land, and court officials. What was unique about the commoner class was towards the beginning of the Heian period Samurai 's were considered the commoner class but towards end of the period they were a part of the aristocratic class. The commoner class was commoners, merchants, farmers, and samurais. The lowest class was the non-people class which were the slaves, outcasts, people with unclean professions, and