The Dark Side of Medieval Japan: Onmyoji, Vengeful Spirits, and Love Priests

The Middle Ages in Japan cannot be called the Dark Ages — it was a time of unprecedented cultural flourishing. The Heian period has forever remained in history thanks to its refined poetry, painting, and literature. But both inside the... Imperial Palace and beyond its walls, another life was unfolding, full of dangers and hardships. In the quarters of the courtiers, intrigues were woven; common people suffered from hunger, epidemics, and countless disasters; and magical threats and horrors of the afterlife kept both groups in fear. This book invites you to peek into various corners of the ancient Japanese capital Heian-kyo: from the houses of aristocrats and the huts of commoners to the abodes of mystic monks and onmyoji sorcerers. The remarkable life that simmered in these and other places largely defined the culture of modern Japan, which has captivated the whole world.