The Gendering of Classical Japan

[Marcos Garrido]

I am very interested in this session, particularly the Kamakura and Tokugawa  periods because I teach 7th grade social studies. For our Japan unit, I have my students compare and contrast Samurai vs European Medieval Knights in order to compare and contrast their armor, codes of honor and training but my students have always been interested in the role of  women were as part of the Samurai warrior class. It seems that Japansese civilization has gradually changed throughout different time periods, and that women have also gained more independence and freedom with this change. On the other hand, I find interesting the amount of influence that Japan has inherited from China, especially the use of classical language for the noble classes. Professor Miyake mentioned that the use of Classical Chinese language can be compared with the use of latin in Medieval Europe. One of the things I learned today that I plan to have my students do in class is to create their own kyogen drama play using academic language.