Idealized Gender Roles of Men and Women

Idealized Gender Roles of Men and Women in Edo and Kabuki

As with many other societies of the time, 18th and 19th century Japan had a strict division of duties and expectations for men and women. This paper examines these idealized gender roles through a close reading of Sanba's The Floating-World Bathhouse, Santo Kyoden's Grilled and Basted Edo-Born Playboy and Tsuuchi Jihei and Tsuuchi Hanemon's Flower of Edo.

Idealized Female

In the world of Kabuki and Edo plays, an ideal woman is a good wife or, barring marriage, a good mistress. To a lesser extent, they should also be good mothers.

The "good wife" role is illustrated clearly in the conversations between Saru and Tori in The Floating-World Bathhouse. In comparing their son's wives, Tori boasts of hr daughter-in-law, who "does everything, day and night." This ideal female is contrasted with Saru's nightmare of a daughter-in-law, who is lazy, who does not take care of the babies and who eats and sleeps all day.

In Saru's eyes, the worst thing about this lazy daughter-in-law is the woman's treatment of her son. In Saru's eyes, his son does not have a good wife. Instead, he has a woman who fights with him and who "looks down on him." To make matters worse, she is wasteful, putting extra wicks in the lamp.

By contrasting the two descriptions and focusing on Saru's complaints, Sanba clearly illustrates how an Edo female must not behave. An ideal woman would thus "do everything" around the house, from taking care of the children to helping her mother-in-law.

Most important, however, an ideal woman would take care of her husband. The ideal woman's personal needs, such as sleep or brighter light, will always be secondary.

Many of these wifely duties are also expected in the courtesan, as illustrated by the character of Agemaki in Flowers of Edo. In this play, Tsuuchi Jihei and Tsuuchi Hanemon present Agemaki as a more independent woman than the Edo daughters-in-law. Though she is a courtesan and is constantly referred to as a "slut" and a "whore," Agemaki has a choice in taking lovers. In fact, her high social rank is illustrated by her disdain of pickpockets and petty thieves.

This play illustrates several characteristics of the ideal Edo woman, the most prominent of which is the premium placed on virtue. At times, "virtue" is equated with virginity, as Ikyu speaks of his desire for the virgin courtesan. With Agemaki, however, virtue means faithfulness, being true to her lover Sukeroku.

Agemaki is a dynamic, intelligent character. The grace of her walk and the encumbrance of her tall clogs belie the strong wit she uses to verbally spar with Ikyu. She also displays initiative when she presumably contacts Manko, her lover's mother.

Agemaki constantly acts in defense of her lover. She shows true love when she quickly forgives Sukeroku for his false and baseless accusations, then displays bravery when she helps him escape after Ikyu's murder. It should be noted, however, that the play clearly shows that all her actions have been in support of Sukeroku.

Though her role is small, Manko's appearance is also indicative of a woman's role in Edo Japan. Manko cries of her shame, in being "unable to strike my enemy and remiss in bringing up sons." Because she is a woman, Manko defines herself in relation to her husband and her sons. Since her husband is slain and her sons are ruffians, Manko sees herself as a failure.

Ideal Male

If an ideal female is a good wife and mother, an ideal Edo male is first and foremost, a good son.

In the bathhouse, Tori's eyes fill with tears when she speaks of her son's filial piety. This is also illustrated in the character of Sukeroku. Though Sukeroku is remiss in making cruel accusations against the faithful Agemaki, his character is redeemed by his oath to avenge his father's death.

An ideal male should never pick fights like a ruffian or engage in shallow or selfish behavior, like Enjiro the Edo Playboy. Even within the play Flowers of Edo, the authors take great pains to compare the Sukeroku to the less desirable behaviors of Ikyu and Mombei. For example, Sukeroku does not manhandle the courtesans and is therefore beloved by women. He displays bravery by defending the women and the helpless noodle boy against the bullying samurai. Like Agemaki, Sukeroku also displays a sharp wit while alternately insulting and bantering with Ikyu. In addition, Sukeroku is physically strong, able to gracefully battle with several ruffians at once.