Women, Art, And Power In Meiji Yo-Ga

Japan has an extensive history, beginning with the first humans arriving around 35,000 B.C.E. The location of Japan has played an important role in the country’s development. Although the archipelago is situated near the mainland, there is still a significant amount of open sea, which divides the two landmasses. Throughout most of Japan's history, it has been shut off from the outside world, neglecting to open its borders to foreigners. The sakoku policy, Sakoku meaning "locked country", was established in 1633 by the Tokugawa Shogunate, it prevented outsiders from entering Japan on a punishment of death. The policy also prevented Japanese from leaving Japan.

This essay will discuss the extend of which the pioneers of Shingeki managed to adapt western style drama and incorporate it in their particular style, by analysing their approaches and expectations. Through a comparison between Japan’s oldest and most traditional theatre style and Shingeki , translated in English as New Theatre, mentioning other forms of traditional style that were touched by the western influence, , this essay aims to highlight the extend of which the Japanese theatre has been influenced by the western style.

Not only was Oseki’s experience telling of the constructed nature of feminine ideals and gender roles, it also served to highlight the objectification and commodification of women within male-dominated networks of expectations and ideologies. While Higuchi herself was not pushing for any feminist aims explicitly, the end result of eliciting the reader’s critique of the Meiji Japanese society makes The Thirteenth Night a crucial work in reflecting the gender issues then. Higuchi’s use of Classical Japanese in her writing could also be seen as a deliberate attempt to carve out a uniquely-feminine sphere within the male literary sphere and challenge male hegemonic writing practices. As such, the Classical Japanese that Higuchi employs in her writing can be interpreted as a ‘feminine’ language as

Between 1968 and 1912, Japan was going through a reformation called Meiji Restoration in order make the country strong as western countries. It had caused changes in many parts of Japan such as society, government, military, etc. Some of these changes still can be seen in the Japanese society today such as emperors are honored by Japanese citizens and seen as a special figure. Since this reformation had a great impact on development of Japan, it can be consider as a very important part of Japanese history.This study will seek to answer the question: To what extent did the Meiji Restoration succeeded to reform and strengthen Japan? In order to answer the question, the investigation will analyze military reform and economic reform caused by

Avakian, Monique. The Meiji Restoration and the Rise of Modern Japan. Boston: Silver Burdett, 1991. 38-54.

Throughout time, the role that Women had in the early twentieth century to the present has changed drastically and it has changed for the better. Japanese American Women residing in the United States, has experienced the evolution of their culture, tradition, values and their role in society. However though it seems as if there is no time in this ever so rapid society, they still continue to pass down culture and tradition through each generation. Some key terms that are crucial in order to understand the essay are, Issei, or the first generation, Nisei, the second generation ,and Sansei, known as the third generation.Over time the Women slowly moved away form being the average Homemaker and transforming into a respected and valued member of society.

To back up my first statement, the Shogunate’s had many large armies around Japan, this did help the Shogunate’s protect their land from the Mongol Empire, who at the time were one of the biggest empires in the world. This compared to the puny Polynesian armies which mostly consisted of twenty to thirty warriors from different tribes on the islands. These small armies could never put up such a fight like the Shogunate’s did and also win. The Polynesian would of been finished as quick as a fire spreading through a dried out forest. The Shogunate armies consisted of about 5,000 to 10,000 footman and cavalry, this let the Shogunate’s attack from different angles and fight in different terrains which helped let them win their wars. The Polynesian’s

The Tokugawa and Meiji state ruling class and officials wished to impose their ideology onto their subjects. The ruling class and officials hoped that this would assist them in their endeavors. Their goals differed between time periods; however, one constant is the mechanism they used to perpetuate their ideology, mythistory. In Tokugawa Japan, they used mythistory to create an ideology based on many religions to justify the social hierarchy the officials created (1 - professor). The ­Meiji state used mythistory to obtain national support for industrialization and modernization. These ideologies had many adverse effects on the lives of many peasants. In the Tokugawa period, numerous peasants were harshly taxed, even when they did not have

Lian Hearn’s 2002 “Across the nightingale floor” is set in feudal japan 1800 and displays the warrior culture and traditional artworks, it shows the context of rank and class within japan at that time with the importance of birth ranks and resistance for change in system within the culture. The context of the book shows the values of japan’s feudal era and the social hierarchy. A hierarchy of which people of higher social status were called lords and ladies and those of lower status being sent into servitude.

With all the struggle the Japanese went though, they finally were grasping a sense of themselves. This age of curiosity and exploration of a country, that the world would later know as Japan, was called the Tokugawa period. As a result of their newfound self, came art and more specifically, woodblock prints. These woodblock prints are significant to the Tokugawa era because they reflected what was going on during that period, including: what was currently happening, how the people viewed the world, and what new discoveries were made. During the Tokugawa era, the woodblock prints show that this was a time of peace because of the often travel, economic growth and significance of nature.

Japan’s warring state period ended after the consolidation of power by the Tokugawa family in 1603, and the new Tokugawa Period was one of Japan’s most peaceful eras that lasted for nearly two and a half centuries up till 1868. The Tokugawa period had many major developments that alter the lives of how Japanese people functioned during this time period, and one such person who lived during time was Katsu Kokichi (1802 – 1850), who wrote an autobiography, Musui’s Story, showcasing how these new developments affected his life. These new developments that happened during this time period was the introduction of Neo-Confucianism to the samurai class, the role of adoption into other samurai family, and pleasure quarters that were established and

Japan is an unique oriental country in many aspects, especially in politics and economy, both western practices and traditional nationalism are coexisted in this country. The period 1890-1940 was just followed the Meiji restoration, and was typical in the history of Japan, at that time, Japan was on the way from a feudal country to a capitalistic country, called modernization. Many western practices were being more and more adopted, however, at the same time, traditional rules still had strong influences in Japan. Under this background, this report will discuss the Japanese cultural factors during 1890-1940 that influenced the disclosure

They are the ritualization in Japanese culture, women’s implicit expression of love, women’s hierarchy in 18th Japan, and how the landscape of Japan influences the prosperity of Geisha culture.

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).

It is no secret that for centuries, the Japanese woman has been, to most observers, a model of elegance and graceful beauty. A picture of a kimono-clad, modest, and often silent woman has been plastered everywhere, allowing for the upmost passive subjection. If we look deeper into this image of woman, can we tell if this picture is complete? How do these women painted in representative images far in the modern world? The ideal woman in Japan is expected to be both a good wife, and a wise mother. Though these seem like reasonable expectations, there is a much deeper meaning to them that has shown signs of being outdated. During the 1800’s and 1900’s, women were subjected to society’s vision of them, and could not break free for fear of the