I tend to that the Heian Period had a lot to do with setting the future of Japan as a warrior nation. The politicsand ideas of the time, the ritsuryo system, the court...all had a hand in what was to come (obvious,I know). Anyone interested in this period should check out Karl Friday's book titled The First Samurai: The Life and Legend of the Warrior Rebel Taira Masakado. It presents a fairly straightforward account of the times.
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