Posted by Arnold (192.231.106.2) on March 27, 2004 at 22:08:07:
In Reply to: Re: Ukiyoe and Women posted by MC on March 27, 2004 at 12:16:11:
Susan,
I'm glad you found the book. The reasons that make a woman a heroine in Edo Japan were determined by their religions, politics and culture which were very different from the West. Ukiyoe tells us a lot about what these differences were. You first asked what does Ukiyo-e tell about the roles and status of women in Japan. Ukiyo-e tells us some about what Edo Japanese thought were Japanese heroines. I'm not sure why they thought this. So maybe you need to do more research on:
1. What makes a woman a heroine in Edo Japan?
2. Which Ukiyoe prints show heroic women and how do they show this?
3. Why did the Japanese consider these characteristics heroic?
You can find some answers in the introduction to "Kuniyoshi: Heroes and Ghosts" and in the descriptions of the prints. However, you may want to ask your librarian for help in finding additional books to explain the bases for Japanese Heroism. I'd also look online for ideas. Thus you might try using the www.amazon.com webpage to search for books on:
Japanese heroines
Japanese heroes, etc.
Good luck,
Arnold