Figure 1.--This snapshot shows Japanese girls plsying a ring game poutside a neigborhood templel. Notice that many are carrying for baby siblings. Thy all wear traditionl clothing. Thevphotograph is undated, but would have been taken sometime in he early-20th century.

Japan since the 16th century was one of the most isolated countries in the world. Shogun Hideyoshi and the succeeding Tokugawa Shogunate repressed Christianity and other Western influences which was seen as disrupting Japan's traditional society. The role of women among Christian families was one of many European cultural issues that offended Japanese tradituionsl society. Christians were hunted down and killed. Commonly they were crucified. The 26 martyrs of Japan were tortured and crucified on crosses outside Nagasaki to supress Christianity (1597). Trade with Europeans were severely limited. Thus Japan into the modern had a basically medieval traditioinal society entered to modern era with women at the bottom of the social structure, totally subservent to men. This was not always the case. Historians a diiferent societal role of women in ancient Japan, a matriarchal antiquity. An important factor in the change that occurred was the two major religions of Japan, Shintoism and Buddhism. The place of women evolved to one acquiescent confinement. This was the situation at the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868). The role of women changed very gradually and primarily because Japan began to build a modern education system whivch included girls. Boys dominated secondary and university education, but fr the first time girls were being educated bd exposed to ideas outside the household. Still Japanese siocirty relegated girls and women to hiusehold and maternal duties anbd caring for their husbands. Only with World War II, however, did Japanese women take the next big step. As the War went against Jaopan girls and unmmarried young women were mobilized for factory work. And with the Japanese surrender and the coming of the Americans The Government were recognized as having equal legal rights to men. Economic and social cinditions were a different matter and changed more slowly. And are still evolving. A scandal just emered on how female students were discriminated gainst in medical school entrances (2018). There is visual evidence of Japans evolving society. After the Meiji Restoration you begin to see men and boys wearing Western dress. This is especially the case for boys in schools as school uniformswere adopted with Western styles. We see girls and women clininging to traditional dress and not jusr whn dressing up for formal occassions, but for everyday wear. We see sountless family portraiy=its until after World War II with the boys and men wearing Western styles and the girls and women wearing traditional srtles. This varies from family to family, but is very pronounced in the photigraohic record.

Created: 8:44 AM 12/11/2018
Last updated: 8:44 AM 12/11/2018