image 130
My first day in Japan, I decided to engage in a traditional tea ceremony. In this image two Japanese women are arranging flower in a tatami room for the tea ceremony that I am going to attend. They are wearing the traditional kimono, which are beautifully colored. Many Japanese women spend most of their time at home, entertaining themselves by arranging flowers and making tea. These elegant activities require creativity, yet these tasks seem very simple and elementary compared to what men do for their family. These two women are sitting in a traditional Japanese kneeling position, with their gazes focused on their immediate task. They seem very determined to get their work done, potentially to please their guests at the tea party. Their dedication to these household activities represents the subservient image of the traditional Japanese women.
image 241
For the next two days of my travels in Japan, I decided to visit few of all-girl schools. This image was taken at the Jiyu girls school, Tokio. These young girls are in aprons, sweeping the walkway by their school. They are essentially "practicing" household chores that they will be fully responsible for when they become wives and mothers of their family. Even at a young age, these children know their roles as women in the Japanese society. This image portrays the humbleness of Japanese women, and their service that is fully dedicated to other people. Although their act of service is very admirable, Japanese women might never learn to speak up for themselves and do whatever they want to do. Ultimately, they might lose the sense of individualism.
image 216
This image is from the Miwata girls school in Tokio. This picture portrays young girls learning to play Koto. They look very focused and determined to learn this instrument. Their eagerness is very fascinating, yet understandable because Japanese women do not have much "fun" activities to do as their hobbies, except arranging flowers, accomplishing chores, and playing intense instruments like Koto. Out of the three possibilities, playing Koto seems most entertaining. Furthermore, Koto can be utilized well in the future when they want to serve and entertain guests who visit their household or workplace.
image 56
Two very cute-looking Japanese children are enjoying dinner. They are both wearing traditional Japanese clothing, and they are sitting in a kneeling position. The little girl pouring tea for the boy once again represents the subservient Japanese women. The girl is carefully pouring the tea into the boys cup, with her eyes focused on the tea pot. The boy, on the other hand, seems to be looking at the girl with a straight body posture, and one of his arms out to receive the tea. The boy seems to have the power and the authority in this situation. These two children' body language also portrays that the little girl is subordinate to the boy. This image as a whole represents how obedient Japanese women are to men. Japanese women have very honorable characteristics that many westerners would want their spouse to have. However, their total submissiveness to men can somewhat make them look simple, naive, and even foolish.
image 163
On my last day, I have encountered something very strange... In this image, Japanese women who seem to be in their early 20s, are fencing with long sticks. This picture is very fascinating and captivating, yet different. This picture captures a total different image from stereotypical Japanese women. In this image, these women are not arranging flowers or playing instruments, but they are engaging themselves in a vigorous sport that requires intelligence and that men would usually play. This image can somehow be seen as very awkward and even repelling because this image isn't what people picture when they think of Japanese women.
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The persona that I created is a western man who has the stereotypical Japanese women in mind. He is very quick to say that cultural activities that Japanese women do (arranging flower, playing instruments, etc) is simple, boring, and pointless. He also views women as mere objects that are utilized to serve men and do household chores. Although he likes the idea of women honoring and dedicating their services to men, he also mentions that this kind of behavior can lead to loss of individualism. He also views Koto as just an instrument that is used to entertain guests. Yet, Koto is a traditional Japanese instrument that has a great influence on Japanese society as both an art and hobby. He is very stereotypical in mentioning that Japanese women engaging themselves in fencing is awkward and repelling because this activity is not their role, and is not what they are "made for."
I agree with some of your analysis. Japanese women were subservient to men, and in that day and age, men seemed to have all the power. Even though your persona is a western man, I feel like sometimes he thinks like an Asian in that time period because as you said, he referred to women fencing as "repelling." When I look at Japanese women in beautiful kimonos doing tasks like pouring tea or arranging flowers, I do not automatically see the subservient side of it. Rather I feel that it has an aethestic side to it, and that it can show that compared to women of other cultures, they can quite classy and discipline having the demureness and calmness that they have.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the persona you created. The way he views women on his visit to Japan is the perfect combination of where he grew up as well as his natural personality. I'd find it really interesting to see what he'd say about images that didn't have any people in them.
ReplyDeleteYour character was very different from your normal personality which made the album more interesting. Saying that women were subservient to men and were repulsive when engaging in manly activities wouldn't be something I would expect you to say (Taylor maybe...). The images you selected greatly emphasize your point.
ReplyDelete