Monday, November 5, 2007

Strolling through Meiji Japan

Somehow or other, all the rest of my papers for this semester are about exchanges between Japan and the West in the late-nineteenth century. For my class on Japanese prints, we had to pick a topic relating to Yoshitoshi, considered the last great master of the ukiyo-e tradition. One of his most popular prints is "Stolling: the appearance of an upper-class wife of the Meiji era," which depicts a woman in (gasp!) western dress. This is particularly surprising coming from the traditionally oriented Yoshitoshi.


But it turns out that when this print was published in 1888, western dress was incredibly popular amongst upper-class women and even amongst geisha. Men adopted western dress first; it was mandated for military uniforms and then for bureaucrats. The empress and her court adopted western dress in 1886 and recommended that other women do the same in a mandate of 1887. There are many prints of the empress from this time that surely helped promote the fashion. Below we see the empress dressed in black in the middle, accompanied by the crown prince and flanked by court ladies sewing western clothing. The inscriptions on top are instructions in these new techniques.

Many of the pictures of the imperial couple wearing western clothing show them at some event that similarly symbolizes the modernization of Japan: the opening of a railroad, instructing school children, riding in a carriage, etc. But other images show them engaged in the rather traditional Japanese activity of viewing blossoms or foliage. "Strolling" similarly references the iris gardens in Tokyo, the Horokiri, which are shown below in a hand-painted photograph from the late nineteenth century.

So I'm interested in this tension between tradition and modernity, as well as the changing role of women that the print might represent. Part of the reason why upper-class Japanese women wore western dress was because they were entertaining westerners at balls and other new social events. Not only was it impossible to do the polka in a kimono, it was also entirely new for wives to interact socially with men at entertainments, since traditionally men were entertained by professional geisha. And as part of the social upheaval happening at this time, some geisha were actually marrying their patrons, themselves becoming wives of highly-placed men in government and hostesses at these international gatherings. Other geisha were wearing western clothing just to retain their usual places at the forefront of fashion. Since western dress eradicated tradition sartorial signs of rank and class, the emergence of this foreign dress may have reinforced the blurring of distinctions between the "upper-class wife" that is specified in "Strolling" and a geisha.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is my first post I'd like to thank you for such a terrific made forum!
thought this would be a nice way to make my first post!

Sincerely,
Laurence Todd
if you're ever bored check out my site!
[url=http://www.partyopedia.com/articles/cat-in-the-hat-party-supplies.html]cat in the hat Party Supplies[/url].

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.kfarbair.com][img]http://www.kfarbair.com/_images/logo.png[/img][/url]

מלון [url=http://www.kfarbair.com]כפר בעיר[/url] - שירות חדרים אנו מספקים שירותי אירוח מגוונים גם יש במקום שירות חדרים המכיל [url=http://www.kfarbair.com/eng/index.html]סעודות רומנטיות[/url] במחירים מיוחדים אשר מוגשות ישירות לחדרכם.

לפרטים אנא גשו לאתר האינטרנט שלנו - [url=http://kfarbair.com]כפר בעיר[/url] [url=http://www.kfarbair.com/contact.html][img]http://www.kfarbair.com/_images/apixel.gif[/img][/url]

Anonymous said...

Hello. My wife and I bought our house about 6 months ago. It was a foreclosure and we were able to get a great deal on it. We also took advantage of the 8K tax credit so that definitely helped. We did an extensive remodeling job and now I want to refinance to cut the term to a 20 or 15 year loan. Does anyone know any good sites for mortgage information? Thanks!

Mike

Anonymous said...

free ebook metaphysics tim crane 2004 http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/fr/Parkinson-s-Disease-300-Tips-for-Making-Life-Easier/p157571/ knight rider legacy ebook [url=http://audiobookscollection.co.uk/fr/Dan-Savage/m24671/]free ebook converter[/url] free ebook cover softwware

Anonymous said...

mein kampf ebook http://audiobooksworld.co.uk/it/The-Secret-Mountain/p29027/ physics for scientists and engineers ebook [url=http://audiobooksworld.co.uk/Cesar-Milan/m18395/]twilight ebook download[/url] brokeback mountain ebook

Anonymous said...

[url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/ranitidine.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/12.jpg[/img][/url]
pediatric pharmacy teleconference http://onlinemedistore.com/products/fml-forte.htm career in academia pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/advair-diskus.htm]phase diagram pharmacy[/url]
university of virginia health system pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/cialis.htm tameo pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/grifulvin-v.htm]grifulvin v[/url]
pharmacy grand rounds topics 2008 http://onlinemedistore.com/products/cefixime.htm virginia certified pharmacy technicians [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/pamelor.htm]massachusetts school of pharmacy open house[/url]
how to setup new pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/catalogue/y.htm online pharmacy zenegra [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/colchicine.htm]colchicine[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/motrin.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/1.jpg[/img][/url]
how to become certified for pharmacy tech http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/norvasc.htm pharmacist auditing jobs in pharmacy benefit managers [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/femcare.htm]silagra brand name viagra pharmacy silagra cum with us com[/url]
india pharmacy laws http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/clozaril.htm rite aid pharmacy chattanooga [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/allegra.htm]allegra[/url]
midway pharmacy los angeles 8733 beverly boulevard http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/kytril.htm pharmacy discussion [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/lithium-carbonate.htm]modern pharmacy[/url]
pharmacy technician certification training texas http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/levlen.htm pharmacy prilosec purchase [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/celexa.htm]celexa[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/methotrexate.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/1.jpg[/img][/url]
chapel hill pharmacy middletown http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/premarin.htm pharmacy technician jobs in delaware [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/arimidex.htm]shannons pharmacy dublin[/url]
lecom school of pharmacy supplemental application http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/mobic.htm joshua pharmacy joshua tx [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/anafranil.htm]anafranil[/url]
rite aid pharmacy stone mountain georgia http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/flovent.htm medco online pharmacy [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/aciclovir.htm]most highly ranked pharmacy schools[/url]
pharmacys in mexico http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/m.htm steroid pharmacy online [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/lopressor.htm]lopressor[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/claritin.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/5.jpg[/img][/url]
us discount pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/himplasia.htm crv pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/sinemet.htm]pharmacy tech course maine[/url]
help with basic pharmacy calculations http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/methotrexate.htm ess solution neighborcare pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/ditropan.htm]ditropan[/url]
ortho novum mexican pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/prinivil.htm kennebec professional pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/lipitor.htm]pharmacy technician and pay rates[/url]
international pharmacy lists http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/kamasutra-contoured-condoms.htm koplitz deal pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/levitra-professional.htm]levitra professional[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/i.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/3.jpg[/img][/url]
md phenol purchase pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/categories/antiviral.htm my chau pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/eurax.htm]cvs pharmacy deland florida[/url]
fort worth texas pharmacy aircast ankle stirrup http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/vigora.htm pyxis pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/sublingual-viagra.htm]sublingual viagra[/url]
sample personal statement for pharmacy school http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/ilosone.htm midland pharmacy [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/plavix.htm]pharmacy respect[/url]
southwood pharmacy http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/allegra.htm ranch pharmacy scottsdale [url=http://englandpharmacy.co.uk/products/apcalis-sx.htm]apcalis sx[/url]

Anonymous said...

dating advice for single moms [url=http://freeinternetdating.info/romantic/romantic-canopy-bed]romantic canopy bed[/url] list of online dating
relative dating exercise http://freeinternetdating.info/singles/singles-dance-cadillac who is andersen cooper dating
free email fo dating [url=http://freeinternetdating.info/seeking/craigslist-pentecostal-seeking-christian]college speed dating in lexington ky[/url] tony romos dating