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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Fujiwara family - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
For more than 300 years one family, the Fujiwara clan, played so dominant a role in Japan’s political life that the era of their influence is often called the Fujiwara period. This period lasted from the 9th to the 12th century. The family’s success was the more remarkable in that it rested not so much on military power, but rather on political strategy and a special relationship with the imperial family (the emperor’s family). It was the practice of the Fujiwaras to ally themselves to the imperial family through the marriage of their daughters to emperors. As a result, the daughters were empresses and their sons and nephews became emperors. Another factor that promoted Fujiwara influence was the frequent tendency of the Japanese emperors to retire to Buddhist monasteries. The emperors would then leave the actual running of the government to others. The Fujiwaras encouraged this trend, as it allowed them to control the government.