An important development in the history of Japan and the Heian period, was the rise of the warrior class, which would eventually bring about a true feudal system run by warriors. As more and more military responsibility was delegated to provincial warlords who were out of the sphere of influence of the capital, these warrior houses grew in power. The transition from a central government run by the Heian court to the rise of the warrior class as the controlling group began with the Taira clan, led by Taira Kiyomori, who usurped the power of the Fujiwara clan. Eventually, the only alternative for people who were at odds with the Taira clan, was to throw in their lot with the Minamoto clan of Eastern warriors, which would eventually lead to civil war.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Friday, Karl. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan (Warfare and History) Routledge; New edition edition (December 29, 2003) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0415329639

Hall, John W. Government and Local Power in Japan 500-1700: A Study Based on Bizen Province ACLS Humanities E-Book, August 1, 2008 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1597405957

McCullough, Helen. The Tale of the Heike Stanford University Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1990) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804718032

Sansom, George. A History of Japan to 1334 Stanford University Press, 1958 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804705232

Support this podcast:

Shop Amazon.com, suport the podcast: http://amzn.to/wnDX2j

Samurai Archives Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20

Samurai Archives Shop (T-Shirts, etc) http://www.cafepress.com/samuraiarchives

Contact Us:

Twitter @SamuraiArchives https://twitter.com/#!/samuraiarchives

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Samurai-Archives/104533213984

Samurai Archives podcast blog: http://www.samuraipodcast.com

Samurai Archives Forum: http://www.japanhistoryforum.com