Japan is well represented by historical and artistic works from the Feudal period also known as the Shogunate. Many of these works and representations blatantly displayed sex. In this article we are going to talk a little about what ancient sex was like in Japan.
This historical period of the Shogunate is associated with fierce samurai, elegant courtesans, and an ever-present sense of formality in dress and culture. How did the Japanese view their sexual relationships at the time?
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Did Japan have rules about sex?
During the Shogunate Periods samurai used to stay with 12 year old boys during official apprenticeships. Aristocratic men could have multiple wives and concubines, while women were tied to one husband.
Despite this, did Japan allow the Japanese to have freedom in their relationships? In feudal Japan, intimate life was influenced by social position. Usually a person's partner has always had a similar social background.
Lower-class teenagers in feudal Japan were free to meet whomever they wanted, but upper-class youth had to follow strict rules about who they could see and marry, or even their intimate relationships.
Homosexuality in Feudal Japan
Something that happened in ancient Japan was when Buddhist monks slept with their young male students, who are teenagers. Buddhist monks often engage openly in "nanshoku" regardless of age.
Monks also maintained open relationships with women. This 19th century print documents the practice of pederasty in medieval monasteries. For those who don't know pederasty is the relationship of an old man with a boy.
Feudal Japan had few taboos about homosexuality or bisexuality. Indeed, sometimes relationships between men were idealized and celebrated, and relationships with women were considered spiritually draining for men.
In Buddhist temples, homosexual relationships were rampant, and usually continued between experienced monks and acolytes they mentored. Homosexuality also occurred openly in the military.
How did Japan's religions view sex?
the own Shinto of ancient Japan believe that the earth was born of sex. There is a certain writing that says:
My body, formed by being formed, has a place that is formed in excess. Therefore, I would like to take that place in my body that is over-formed and insert it into that place in your body that is insufficiently formed, and thus give birth to the earth.
already in Buddhism there was a branch called Tachikawa-ryu known as the main sex cult in Japan. According to the sect's beliefs, making love was a gateway to spiritual enlightenment, because sexual intercourse allowed for the loss of self.
For Tachikawa-ryu Buddhists, performing the act was an important part of spiritual and religious life. For them, it was more than just an ideal or symbol, it was "seen as good in its own right, beyond its role in procreation." The Tachikawa-ryu creed also stated "the loss of self in the act could lead to the awakening of the spirit".
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The social hierarchy of women
Feudal Japan valued hierarchies and social classification. This included women who sold themselves for money. Some brothels were specifically upper-class, but even in high-end establishments, there was a social distinction.
There were middle-class workers called "yūjo," and other high-level certainties known as "oiran," which is an abbreviation of "oira no tokoro no nee-san" ("the older sisters of our place").
The Oiran were well-trained artists and had surprisingly high social status. Potential customers used formal language with these courtesans and, in turn, these women wore elaborate clothes.
Life was hard for the crusts
The high-class courtesans called oiran, who later would be called geishas, learned to dance, sing, paint, write haiku, write in calligraphy, and how to perform a proper tea ceremony, a lifestyle greatly coveted by women.
Unfortunately many of these girls were forced to sleep with people for money. They were heavily indebted to their madams for their expensive clothes and makeup. They worked long hours and had grueling training.
The notion and fate of a prostitute who lives in debt servitude to a madame and yakuza permeated Japanese society and became the narrative of movies until today. This brought a distorted Western view that geishas are prostitutes and not artists.
The original purpose of geishas was only to entertain visitors, even appealing to the sensual side. Nowadays, bars called snacks offer exactly a similar service, women making men drink and fall in love, without resorting to prostitution.
This was a little bit of what sex was like in Feudal Japan. I hope you enjoyed this little article, if you liked it share and leave your comments.
