The Heian period was Japan's courtly golden age, producing The Tale of Genji and the Pillow Book while the Fujiwara clan dominated court politics — ending as samurai clans began seizing real power.
The Heian period ended in 1185 CE when Minamoto forces under Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeated the Taira clan at the naval Battle of Dan-no-ura; Minamoto no Yoritomo then established the Kamakura shogunate, shifting political power from the imperial court to the warrior class.
Written at the Heian court around 1000 CE, this is the world's first novel and the primary literary document of the period's aristocratic culture.
Sansom's cultural history gives the most readable account of the Heian court's unique aesthetic civilization and political structure.