Introduction

The collapse of the Heian system and the rise of the warrior class to political power marks one of the most decisive shifts in Japanese history. The changes wrought here, particularly in where political power in Japan is vested, will have resounding implication. From the end of the Heians period up until the year 1868, the warrior class will dominate Japan. But before we can get into it, we need to discuss why the Heian System ended up collapsing into a series of brutal civil wars.