The book 'Heian Japan, Centers and Peripheries' examines the early Heian period from a wide variety of multidisciplinary perspectives. It offers a fresh look at the seemingly contradictory trends of the time, including important transitions in religion and politics, challenges from the provinces, and cultural achievements and social crises. The book features essays by leading scholars of art history, history, literature, and religions, who explore core texts, iconic images, enduring paradigms, and hitherto unexplored problems in search of new ways of understanding the currents of change and institutionalization that shaped the Heian scene.