Early Japan was a tumultuous time for women. Women's rights, access to education, and responsibilities changed greatly over time. Women were given the opportunity to act as samurai and write important novels but were also isolated in their homes and expected to be subservient to their husbands. Keep reading to learn about all the changes women faced in Japan.
Fig. 1 Three Women Playing Musical Instruments
The Role of Women in Early Japan
The role of women in Japan changed over time. Japanese women were both valued and villainized. In the earliest parts of the Middle Ages, Japanese women acted as rulers. As Buddhism spread, the status of women declined. Eventually, women were only seen as valuable if they were married.
Early Japan
Women in early Japan had the opportunity to act as ruler. Shinto, the common religion of the time, encouraged female rulers as women were assumed to be more peaceful than men. Pimiko, a third-century female ruler, and Iyo, her decedent, prove that women were able to inhabit the position.
Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the late 6th century. Japanese Buddhism had a negative view of women. It spread the belief that women were inherently evil. As this belief spread, the status of women declined.
The Heian Period (794-1185 CE)
The Heian period is known for its cultural achievements. Many historians who look back on this period call it a golden age, meaning that the people of this period took advantage of relatively good conditions to develop the cultural aspects of their society.
The Heian Period was technically first led by Emperor Kanmu, but the majority of the power really was help by the Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwara gained power by intentionally arranging marriages for their children to gain political strength.
During this time, a woman's social status really impacted the day-to-day of her life. Noblewomen wrote and created art. They were often educated and cultured. Common women worked in the rice fields and created textiles. Women of all economic backgrounds were expected to rise children and run a household.
Did you know? Women in the Heian period could inherit property and keep it in their names.
During the Heian Period, Japanese women had an impactful place in the popular culture. Women at this time are credited with the development of a specific type of writing called hiragana.
Japanese Women: Culture
A Buddhist story, The Captain of Naruto, demonstrates the way women were treated as it exemplifies female submission and male dominance.
Aristocratic women of the Heian period impacted Japan's culture. A female author known as Lady Murasaki wrote a novel named The Tale of Genji. She learned how to write by eavesdropping on her brother's lessons. Women were not to receive education at this point, and she worked to limit the amount of exposure others had to her knowledge.
The Tale of Genji demonstrates the Buddhism values that villainize women. It also demonstrates the way that women were used to help families obtain social status by marrying them off. Fathers would typically marry their daughters off to a specific family to receive political and social benefits.
Izumi Shikibu was a female poet who used writing to illustrate how she was isolated.
The Kamakura Period (1192-1333)
The Kamakura period, which brought feudalism and a military dictatorship to Japan, also brought rights back to women. Women had access to education, even being exposed to the martial arts that were crucial for samurai training.
What caused this? One reason is the development of new divisions of Buddhism.
Overtime, the status of Japanese women began to revert to its previous state during the Heien period. The relationship between husband and wife began to look like the relationship between feudal lord and subject. Women were expected to be married to gain value and were often isolated from other women.
Fig. 2: Hangaku Gozen, Female Samurai
Gender Roles
Historically, traditional gender roles formed a large part of Japanese society. You are probably familiar with traditional gender roles already, but let's explore what they looked like in feudal Japan.
Expectations of Women
At the time, Japan's societal expectations for men and women were very traditional. Women were expected to be subservient to men. Women were responsible for maintaining and protecting the home. In public, women were to defer to their husbands. They were expected to be polite, respectful, and quiet.
Girls were taught martial arts, and women were expected to protect their homes. Some women trained to be samurai.
Female Samurai
Women in Feudal Japan were able to train as samurai, and they worked with male warriors. Female samurai were able to protect their homes and families in times of danger or upheaval.
Some famous female samurai include Tomoe Gozen, Nakano Takeko, and Niijims Yae. Tomoe Gozen is significant because she was a female warrior who fought in some of the battles that led to the formation of the first feudal shogunate. Takeko let the Joshotai, otherwise known as the Girls' Army. She and her fellow warriors were some of the last samurai in Japan. In addition to being one of the last female samurai, Niijims Yae was a nurse.
Fig. 3: The Tale of Genji.
Feudal Japan: Marriage
Japanese women were typically used by their families to create alliances or to raise a family's social status. Fathers may choose to marry their daughter off to a particular family, or a samurai warrior may select a wife. Within the marriage, women were generally expected to submit to their husbands. Women received martial arts training as young women to defend their homes. Women in medieval Japan were unable to get a divorce. There was nothing prohibiting husbands from committing adultery.
During the Heian period, marriage had one function: to produce children who would be able to inherit notable social or political positions from their parents. Courting during the Heian period look different as well-there were no apps, swiping, or set-ups involved. The men and women of the aristocracy would exchange letters and poems. They were legally considered married if they spent three nights together. Weddings looked a lot different from the modern version-the bride's parents would organize a banquet for the bridge and groom.
Courting
An old-fashioned term used to explain the way a young man would treat a young woman he hopes to marry
In the case of a high-ranking Heian noble man, he may have a wife and a concubine. A concubine was essentially a cross between a wife and an employee. While a concubine did not have the same status as a wife, she was still responsible for producing children. The Pillow Book and the Tale of Genji are literary representations of martial life in feudal Japan.
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji was a literary work completed in the 11th century by Murasaki Shikibu, or Lady Muraskai. Muraskai was a noblewoman and a lady in waiting.
The Tale of Genji was difficult for the everyday reader to comprehend due to the archaic language that was used that the complex style of prose. It was translated into modern Japanese in the early part of the 20th century.
The Tale of Genji was one of the first recorded novels. It depicted the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of a Japanese emperor and a Japanese concubine. It describes his life after he is removed from the line of succession and forced to live as an imperial officer. The novel also details his love life and general aspects of Japanese society at the time.
Did you know? The Tale of Genji was written in concertina style, which looks like several sheets of paper that are glued together and then folded.
In the Edo period (1600-1868), marriage was a considerable part of the family that made up a basic unit of society. Family members were expected to embody the Confucian value of respecting one's elders.
Marriages were arranged by the head of the household. Marriages had to be of equal social standing. When women married, they married their husband's household. This strengthened the notion of marriage to further political alliances. Romantic love was not a consideration.
Fig. 4 Beauty with Dragon, an Edo Period Painting.
Summary: Women in Early Japanese Society
The role of women in Japan changed over time, with women being both valued and villainized. Women in early Japan were valued and some functioned as rulers. As various religious ideas spread, the idea that women were inherently evil, the status of women declined.
Japan's Heian period was a golden age known for its cultural achievements. A woman was her status-common women worked in fields and created textiles. Noblewomen created art. Literary works of art are a prime example of this; novels like the Tale of Genji were published.
The Kamakura period brought feudalism and a military dictatorship to Japan. This was also a time of rights for women. They had access to education again, and some women experienced a version of samurai training as young girls.
Gender roles were generally very traditional. Women were expected to be subservient to men and maintain and protect their homes. Women were typically used by their fathers or other male head of household. They were placed into arranged marriages to further political alliances or raise a family's social standing. Romantic love was not a consideration.
Woman in early Japanese society - Key takeaways
- Women in early Japan had rights. Some women were high-ranking rulers.
- In the Heian period, many women lost their status. Only some received and education.
- In the Kamakura period, women had more rights.
- Women in the Edo period had little choice when it came to marriage. They were often arranged to further political alliances or raise a family's social standing. Romantic love was not a consideration.
- Women in Japanese society embodied typical gender roles, with women being subservient to their fathers and husbands.
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