Women's Role In Japanese History

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.

The Heian court of medieval Japan was a progressive and dynamic society where women commanded a fair amount of power and respect. In many ways it seemed to be the basis of the "rank n file", material culture of today’s society. The social structure of society throughout the court was set up in three different ranks. In chapter two, Genji’s friend, To no Chujo explained the three roles and how they determined the role of women in court. Women of high rank would be the wife of a high ranking elite, thus responsible for raising the future heirs, women of lower rank were concubines and often had better relationships with the man than his wife. did It was this complicated ranking system that led to the abundance of accepted promiscuity, however the two roles kept a bit of stability and normalcy throughout the court.

Women in Western Europe and Japan compare and contrast religiously, politically, and economically. Religiously, women in Western Europe were better off with the advantage of becoming a nun than women in Japan were who lost their role in Buddhist and Shintu rituals. Politically, feminist thinkers were allowing women to have a greater say politically but there were fewer female rulers or regents in Europe. Japan who had female empresses prior to Koken was less inclined to have success. Economically, women in Japan could not inherit land but were able to be in the merchant class, while women in Europe could also inherit land; they were better off and more economically engaged than Japan with the running and working of a craft guild.

As many people know, the Second World War changed the role of Japanese women. Before the war they used to be stay home mothers, and they had duties such as, keeping the house clean, and taking care of their husband and children. During the world war II, women changed their roles. Because a significant amount of man went to war, many women had to take their jobs in order to keep production in the country. Women started taking jobs like arms factories and coalmines. (1) In addition, new opportunities arise at that time for women because they could even join the army. After the World War II, women keep their freedom when it comes to having the right to choose whether they were going to work or be an stay home mother. Moreover, they also gain more

Women's roles in feudal Japan ranged from wives, mothers, geishas, and warriors. Women were brought up to believe that they were inferior to men. They had no independence or say in their lives. Her whole entire life she had to obey the male gender. Her father, her husband, and if she is widowed, her son. Women didn't have freedom, even if they were high-ranking. Her family would chose her husband in an arranged marriage, usually for alliances. If the women did not get married they had to become a Buddhist nun, even if it meant lowering their status. A woman's first duty was to marry her husband and obey them, her second duty was to bear her husband a son who would inherit their family's land and power when he died. But, if she were to bear a daughter, then it was her duty to be her teacher, and to teach her how to read and write, how to wear the clothes of the court, and teach her proper manners such as how to act, and how to address those around her.

Urban life was exhilarating for Japan as cities began to develop in the 1890s. The major alterations were technological advancements that lead to additional job opportunities and made lives easier; however, the greater part of Japan, during the Meiji period, were not satisfied. These people were not benefiting from the changes that were occurring around them. In Mikiso Hane’s book, Peasants, Rebels, Women, And Outcastes: The Underside of Modern Japan, the first chapter depicts the morbid ways in which Japanese peasants reacted to starvation and military conscription. The next section illustrates the difficult duties of a farmer, and the third division describes the peasants’ morals. In the fourth section, Hane displays the demanding tasks

Investigation: The Japanese religions of Shinto and Buddhism are two very unique religions that, despite having different origins, ended up becoming an amalgam of rite, practice, and belief. Shinto, one of the major religions of Japan, has existed since prehistoric times. “Shintoism”, explains Meg Greene, author, “[does not] have a founder, nor does it have sacred scriptures like the Sutras …the religious texts of the Hindus.” Indeed, the history of Shinto was so vague that it did not even have a true name until the word ‘Shinto’ was borrowed from the Chinese.

In continuing the Meiji theme of implementation of Western ideals in order best Western countries, women activists implemented Western practices and techniques for their own actions. Unionization and workers’ strikes were two of these techniques as their development and propagation deeply affected how workers saw both their work and the importance of proper compensation. In particular, the fight for a woman’s department and equal wages evidences how these techniques were utilized for the benefit of this population. Although women’s health could deeply affect work conditions and vice versa, male socialists sought not to anger other groups while ridiculing the very idea that women had separate concerns. Nonetheless, female activists continued to push for these benefits and for birth control, especially after Anglo-American Margaret Sanger visited Japan. This, of course, deviates from the Tokugawa understanding of women’s sexual freedom, which essentially focused on male control rather than actual bodily autonomy.

During the Meiji period, Japan’s inclusion of women was going through a phase of evolution. Western observers had noticed that the treatment granted to women by a given society was correlated with the level of civilization of that society. Japan caught on to this, and realized that social customs would have to evolve. The first mark of this change was in 1873 when primary school became mandated for children, including female children. The government began to include women as more public figures, mainly to impress Western powers, and wives of government officials were invited to events such as dinner parties, charity events, and Western-style balls. These social shifts illustrated Japanese women taking on greater responsibility for the sake

For my essay, I have choose to research the Ainu people of Japan and more specifically what it was like to be a woman in their culture. In northern Japan, on an island called Hokkaido was where a rather evasive ethnic group lived, called Ainu. Their origins are perplexing and mysterious. Women were extremely independent until they were married, where they then were expected to follow the rule of the man. Still, women participated in war and had some say during councils for their village. Additionally, they also worked in the fields, cooked, made clothes, and also looked after and educated children among other

Shintoism has influenced the population of Japan since around the 4th century BCE, well before the countries written language had formed, making people’s morale’s, beliefs and social interactions very unique.

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.

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

These works have men as the predominant basis of these hypothesis. The literature both empirical and theoretical, inclusive of experiences of a woman in midlife is rather scarce. Some studies also report it to be a culture based perception, being more evident in the west and not so significant in the Indian and the Japanese culture.4Feminist psychology has often been critical of such works and the historical perspective of psychological schools of thought centered on the male perspective, keeping the male gender as the norm5, thus it focuses on incorporating the gender and the manner in which it has an influence on the existing issues. Gender is beyond the anatomical segregation and extends to the way a person identifies with one’s gender and the influence of societal structures on the role of a gender and also the hierarchy with which are associated certain stereotypical behaviours. As these roles differ for the genders, the pressures and psychological impacts are significantly different for men and women.

But the beauty and uniqueness of Japanese women, her desire to agree, its great patience, a sense of harmony and balance in all things, the willingness to sacrifice were known to ancient times and carried the glory of a Japanese woman around the world. Japanese wife running the business is reconciled with the fact that her husband is found not more than a couple days a week. It may seem that the Japanese woman is under the yoke of patriarchy and pressure from the men. However, this is not the case. That Japanese has more rights than women of other countries in Asia and the Orient. Japanese woman confides education of children and the decision of their fate, it is completely given the right to dispose of her husband's earnings and decide what expenses and how much need to be done, the Japanese women work, and some of them are financially stable and resting on the feet. Japanese women are able to hide their feelings, build diplomatic relations with her husband, seeking from him a lot more than European women. But even with a lot of rights, under the influence of civilization, becoming more independent, educated and self-confident, a Japanese woman still accompanies her husband to the door, with reverence