Women in Medieval Japan Motherhood, Household Management and Sexuality |
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| Author:
| Haruko, Wakita |
| Translator:
| Tokita, Alison |
| ISBN: | 978-1-876924-45-4 |
| Publication Date: | Apr 2006 |
| Publisher: | Monash University Publishing
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| Imprint: | Monash University Press |
| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | AUD $29.95 |
Book Description:
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Women in medieval Japan were in an interesting position, when the flexible marriage arrangements of the ancient era were giving way to the custom of a woman entering her husband's family for life. Mothers were accorded a large degree of respect, even though they were demeaned by ideas of impurity and karmic hindrance. Eminent historian Wakita Haruko puts forward a powerful argument that women were not confined to the roles of wife and mother, but had a variety of opportunities for...
More DescriptionWomen in medieval Japan were in an interesting position, when the flexible marriage arrangements of the ancient era were giving way to the custom of a woman entering her husband's family for life. Mothers were accorded a large degree of respect, even though they were demeaned by ideas of impurity and karmic hindrance. Eminent historian Wakita Haruko puts forward a powerful argument that women were not confined to the roles of wife and mother, but had a variety of opportunities for social labor and participation in an expanding commercial culture. In this book, Wakita explores the work of nuns, household managers, merchants, vendors, potters, prostitutes, entertainers, and women at court, to show that women located in the medieval household and those outside it had very different experiences and degrees of autonomy.