Women on Paper: Gendered Portrayals of the Household in Early Modern Japan
Faculty Information
Robert Andolina | Course: INST 4960 | Project-in-progress
Presentation Type
Individual
Presentation Format
Oral presentation
Start Date
10-5-2024 2:00 PM
End Date
10-5-2024 3:00 PM
Abstract or artist statement
This paper examines the women of Edo Japan (1600-1867), aiming to correct the common misconception that Japanese society during the early modern period was solely oppressive to women. This is especially timely, as the image of Edo Japan continues to be reproduced in Japanese pop culture today, as evidenced by the recent opening of an Edo themed market in Tokyo in February 2024. This paper's examination of Edo-period popular literature shows that women had opportunities to shape their own lives within Edo society through mechanisms such as divorce, self-cultivation, and employment, particularly in their execution of household roles. To understand what the daily lives of women were like, my analysis centers on four narrative fiction stories from the flourishing literary culture of early modern Japan: Kino wa kyo no monogatari (Today's Tales of Yesterday), Koshoku ichidai onna (Life of a Sensuous Woman), Ukiyoburo (Floating-World Bathhouse), and Shunshoku umegoyomi (Spring-Colored Plum Calendar). Although there was no equality of the sexes in early modern Japan, this thesis shows that women could exercise a relative amount of autonomy over the courses of their own lives, especially through their roles within the sphere of household.
Keywords: Japanese history, Edo period, women's history, roles of women, popular literature
Women on Paper: Gendered Portrayals of the Household in Early Modern Japan
This paper examines the women of Edo Japan (1600-1867), aiming to correct the common misconception that Japanese society during the early modern period was solely oppressive to women. This is especially timely, as the image of Edo Japan continues to be reproduced in Japanese pop culture today, as evidenced by the recent opening of an Edo themed market in Tokyo in February 2024. This paper's examination of Edo-period popular literature shows that women had opportunities to shape their own lives within Edo society through mechanisms such as divorce, self-cultivation, and employment, particularly in their execution of household roles. To understand what the daily lives of women were like, my analysis centers on four narrative fiction stories from the flourishing literary culture of early modern Japan: Kino wa kyo no monogatari (Today's Tales of Yesterday), Koshoku ichidai onna (Life of a Sensuous Woman), Ukiyoburo (Floating-World Bathhouse), and Shunshoku umegoyomi (Spring-Colored Plum Calendar). Although there was no equality of the sexes in early modern Japan, this thesis shows that women could exercise a relative amount of autonomy over the courses of their own lives, especially through their roles within the sphere of household.
Keywords: Japanese history, Edo period, women's history, roles of women, popular literature