The Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji Eras

The Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji Eras

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Hōgen Rebellion, which occurred in central Kyoto in 1156, involved a dispute over imperial succession. Although it lasted only a few hours, this skirmish and the Heiji Rebellion of 1160 had far-reaching sociopolitical consequences, marking the close of the peaceful Heian period (794–1185) and the rise of the samurai class. These screens, depicting the Hōgen incident on the right and the Heiji on the left, illustrate some of the battles that terrified Kyoto citizenry. Nobles in mansions, warriors in the streets, courtiers in ox-drawn carriages, and samurai on horseback witness the chaos, set against a bird’s-eye view of the city’s verdant hills, rivers, shrines, and temples. This is one of the earliest-known examples of a combined Hōgen-Heiji painting in large-screen format.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji ErasThe Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji ErasThe Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji ErasThe Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji ErasThe Rebellions of the Hōgen and Heiji Eras

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.