Portrayals of Heian Noblewoman in Literature
The works of literature of the Heian period revealed woman's position in society and how they are vulnerable to manipulation by men
Kagero Nikki
The Kagero Nikki is an autobiography-diary of a mid-Heian noblewoman, the Mother of Michitsuna, from the Fujiwara household. The diary includes 21 years in her life, recording her relationship with her kinsman from its beginning to their final estrangement. According to the diary, the Mother of Michitsuna’s high literary literacy of her ability as a poet and how she contributed to the relationships between her husband and son and other noblemen and noblewomen from the elite class. The diary also stated her effort in pursuing her children’s knowledge of poems as well as Chinese skills to some extent. The detailed memories of such descriptions reveal the significance of one’s ability of literacy, not just as a noblewoman, but also as anyone from the elite class. In addition, the form of marriage between the Mother of Michitsuna and her husband Kaneie was where Kaneie, the husband, visits her residence. For this marriage, as partners are not living together, ending a relationship could simply be one partner stopping from visiting the other person. This practice of marriage indicates how a woman’s role in the Mid-Heian period was not only as a wife figure; instead, it shows the equality between both genders to some extent. However, as the mother of her repeatedly pushed the Mother of Michitsuma to have male offspring, giving birth to a male heir was still considered one of the most important responsibilities of a noblewoman. Lastly, another matter that was a significant part of the Mother of Michitsuma’s diary was her journeys to temples and shrines, especially after her feeling toward Kaneie began to fade as he was seeing too many other women. Her strong interest in Buddhism and how she found her inner peace from her journeys show how religion was an essential component of a noblewoman’s life as mentioned in the sacred journey of the noblewoman.
The Tale of Genji
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One of the finest and oldest works of literature, Murasaki Shikibu’s Genji Monogatari is a classic from the early eleventh century. Written at the height of Heian classical culture, the novel offers a glimpse of how the imperial court institutions may have functioned. Thought to have been influenced by the Fujiwara family’s involvement with the imperial court under Michinaga’s political supremacy, the novel depicts an aristocratic class of men and women who are involved in marriage politics and family drama. Genji Monogatari, although a work of fiction, conveys the lives of aristocratic women who were close to the imperial court. Genji’s marriage to Aoi in chapter 9 Aoi, for example, evoked a duolocal structure of marriage where the two lived in separate residences. (Mccullough, 1967) In the same chapter, Genji’s affairs with the mistress Lady Rokujo and her jealousy and feelings of resentment towards him and Aoi, convey the historical context where affairs were much more common due to the duolocal nature of marriages at the time. Genji throughout the novel marries several women; Murasaki, Lady Akashi, among others in his romantic pursuits, while also being dictated by the rules and culture of the Heian court. His position in the court, for example, led him to have a series of secretive romantic affairs in an effort to avoid punishments. These affairs, one could argue, highlight the vulnerability of Heian court noblewomen to exploitation by men for sexual relationships and desires. The kidnapping of Fujitsubo’s young niece Murasaki by Genji for example, and the eventual rejection of Murasaki’s wish to become a nun, are further examples of this form of exploitation and the vulnerability of noblewomen in Heian courts.
Beginning from the Heian period, one restriction on women in the elite class began to show. In the Heian period, noblewomen were required to cover their faces with a fan, the sleeves of their garments, or a head covering to hide their appearance when there are strangers around them. Noblewomen back then were not allowed to appear themselves in front of strangers even inside their own houses. As shown in the literature, besides using objects to hide their faces, they must also hide behind curtains or bamboo screens. According to Taketori Monogatari written at the beginning of the 10th century, the little creature found in the bamboo later grew into a beautiful female and was treated with the standard of a noblewoman that she was kept in the inner room behind curtains and screens so no one can ever catch even a glance of her face. Similarly, this rule kept noblewomen in houses and stopped them from going out into society. Such restriction continued and expanded to middle-class women as well as commoners in the following Kamakura and the Muromachi period and finally began to diminish during the Edo period. This practice of hiding one’s appearance from men and strangers reflected the gradual development of patriarchal authority which grew in the medieval periods.
When analyzing the roles of noblewomen in the eras that followed the Heian Period, it is moreover necessary to understand the development of yometorikon as the de-facto form of marriage in the ie system. The eleventh and twelfth centuries saw the establishment of the ie system where the wife would join the husband to live together in a patriarchal unit of one wife and one husband. (Wakita & Phillips 1993) In this new system, the wife's social standing corresponds to the husband's social status, and her rights are thus maintained. Wakita asserts that the status difference between genders was therefore not very apparent. Although the husband assumes the patriarchal head role within the household, the wife plays an essential role of 'caretaker,' where the wife oversees finances, food procurement, and the subordinates within the family. Wakita provides an example with Hojo Masako, where the family's subordinates obeyed her for being a responsible caretaker. The respect Hojo had within the shogunate allowed her to later gain control of the shogunate after her husband's death, Minamoto Yoritomo.
Comparison of the Heian Era Noblewomen to Women of Later Eras
Comparison of Heian Era Noblewomen
The comparison between the ideal role of women of the Heian Period with Muromachi, Edo periods
Comparison between Noblewomen and Noblemen in the Heian period
In the Heian period, noblewomen from the aristocratic class enjoyed a relatively high degree of independence and security, as they possessed the right to own property or inherit property. (Stalker 2018) Daughters of the elite would thus inherit wealth and have independent incomes. When compared to noblemen, noblewomen had less duties and responsibilities, and thus were able to devote their time in literary and artistic pursuits. (Stalker 2018) Using the kana phonetic script, aristocratic women were able to write and express their feelings freely with onnade. Although this form of writing was not strictly gendered, as men wrote in gana in some literary works, men predominantly instead used classical Chinese characters.
Within the aristocratic class, giving birth to daughters was seen as a desired outcome, as the family would have the chance to engage in marriage politics and advance into the court. One such example would be the Fujiwara family, which had daughters marry heirs of the court to exert control and influence within the imperial family. Although aristocratic Heian noblewomen enjoyed independence and status to a certain degree, religious doctrines stemming from Confucianism and Buddhism spread the notion of male superiority and female inferiority. (Stalker 2018) When compared to noblemen, elite women as a result had less freedom of mobility, and led a life of “sedentary existence.” (Stalker 2018) Freedom of leaving their home independently was often only permitted for pilgrimages or monomode to temples and shrines. These pilgrimages would often be gendered, with men having more pilgrimage destinations. (Ambros, 1997) Various reasons were given for this difference in mobility, including the fact that many temples with monasteries forbade women from visiting and paying respects, and the difficulty of reaching the destination. In addition to the gendered places of pilgrimage, places within court life were gendered as well. Buildings considered to be in the public, such as temples and government buildings, were constructed under Chinese architectural influences. Living quarters and residences where noblewomen spent most of their lives, were more of a Japanese traditional style, with thatched roofs and wooden floorboards. (Stalker 2018) The dualistic approach in design for ‘feminine’ places and more ‘masculine’ areas thus highlights the underlying social expectation for men and women to occupy different roles and pertain to differing aesthetics.
