In this episode of our Introduction to Japanese history series, we examine the rise of the warrior class during the Heian period. As the Heian period began, there was not a distinct warrior class, but armies were raised on an ad hoc basis when needed by the court to put down rebellions, bandits, and pirates. As the Heian period went on, provincial lords began to maintain professional warrior bands to protect their lands and legitimacy, and to go to war on behalf of the court. The court would continue to give these provincial lords legitimacy through bestowing titles and lands. But, as the Heian period went on, court control of these provincial lords and their armies began to weaken. Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samuraiarchives Mentioned in this podcast: Friday, Karl. Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Japan Stanford University Press, March 1, 1996 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804726965 Friday, Karl. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan (Warfare and History) Routledge; New edition edition (December 29, 2003) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0415329639 Friday, Karl. Teeth and Claws. Provincial Warriors and the Heian Court Monumenta Nipponica Vol. 43, No. 2 (Summer, 1988), pp. 153-185 http://www.jstor.org/pss/2384742 Hall, John W. Government and Local Power in Japan 500-1700: A Study Based on Bizen Province ACLS Humanities E-Book, August 1, 2008 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/1597405957 McCullough, Helen. The Tale of the Heike Stanford University Press; 1st edition (March 1, 1990) http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804718032 Sansom, George. A History of Japan to 1334 Stanford University Press, 1958 http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20/detail/0804705232 Support this podcast: Shop Amazon.com, suport the podcast: http://amzn.to/wnDX2j Samurai Archives Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/samurai-20 Samurai Archives Shop (T-Shirts, etc) http://www.cafepress.com/samuraiarchives Contact Us: Twitter @SamuraiArchives https://twitter.com/#!/samuraiarchives Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Samurai-Archives/104533213984 Samurai Archives podcast blog: http://www.samuraipodcast.com Samurai Archives Forum: http://www.japanhistoryforum.com