Women in Society: Japan, is a brief but to the point book about a woman’s place in a Japanese society. It is written by Elizabeth Kanematsu, and is one in a series of books about women in different societies. It focuses on both the modern aspect of Japanese women, and their early history. This book gives a basic, easy to follow view of the Japanese women from as far in the past as records can take us, to the early 1990’s.
In early Japan, the woman was highly respected. This respect arose from “Amaterasu,” the sun goddess of Japan, from whom the imperial line is said to have descended. For a time in early history women were nearly equal to men. They could be samurai, empresses, and leaders of their homes. However, during the Tokugawa period (1603-1867), women were stripped of their rights, and made completely subservient to the men. Reforms began immediately after the Tokugawa period, in the Meiji Era (1868-1912); however, to this day the reforms are still struggling to grant women the true equality they deserve. A basic knowledge of the history of the Japanese women, and the laws that have been enacted to preserve their rights is one of the most necessary elements for studying Japanese women. Therefore, this information is essential for a report on the Japanese women.
Unfortunately, Women in Society: Japan was heavily focused on individual female reformist members of the Japanese society. It discusses many famous women in Japan including members of the imperial family, politicians, athletes, writers, singers, and the extraordinary housewife. While this book is a great resource as a brief review of the women who changed Japan, it is much less useful in trying to grasp the overall picture of the Japanese women and her role in the Japan of today.
It is also a good resource for the many different types of Japanese women. It varies from rural women, to suburban housewives, trendsetting teenagers, office ladies, and minority women in Japan. However, just like most sections of this book, the information for each type of women is too brief for solid information, but is perfect for someone interested in the different available lifestyles for Japanese women today.
Although mainly looking at the role of Japanese women in an unbiased way, this book occasionally seemed to condemn these women to a fate of permanent inferiority to men. “Quite a few parents still believe that higher education for their daughters is not important or necessary. Their main concern remains that their little girls turn out charming, polite and graceful, equipped with at least some practical homemaking skills. As a result of lower expectations, many young girls set themselves lower targets of achievement” (104). This source is good at revealing a rather pessimistic, and sad, but true view of the position of the modern Japanese women. Fortunately, this book also includes pertinent information that proves that at least now, with the new laws and suffrage rights, women have a chance to succeed. It is also important to note that this book was published in 1993, and thus is not entirely up-to-date on the real “modern Japanese women.”