Heian Period (794-1185ace)
	Heian Period Men's Clothing			Heian Period Woman's Clothing
		Heian Samurai Armor
The Heian Period was an amzing time in Japanese history.  A period of unprecedented peace and security was the major theme during this time in history.  Japanese culture also flurished during this time as it never had before and that is why this time is called "Classical" Japan. During this time period, the capital was moved from Nara to Heian-kyo, or city of peace and tranquility, in 795a.c.e.  The ruling family during this time were the Fukiwara who managed to skillfully manipulate and hold on to their power for over three centuries.  The Japanese, during this time, began to develop a culture that was their own and independant of Chinese culture, that had formed the cultural life in Japan up to this point in Japanese history.  There were two things that the Japanese developed during this period; first, they developed an entirely different written language, second, they developed a court culture that was uniqely Japanese rather than Chinese in nature. Also, during this time period, the Samurai became a part of the heiarcial system, just below the Emperor in status.  The samurai were professional soldiers and owed their loyalty to the emperor.  The word "samurai" means "to serve" in Japanese and the samurai  were servants to the emperor.  During the Heian Period, the samurai gradually became private armies and were loyal to local aristocracy and warlords (daimyo).
Resources: http://www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/wayou/index.htm http://wsu.edu/~dee/ANCJAPAN/HEIAN.HTM