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Women In Medieval Japan

714 Words3 Pages

I will be exploring the aspect of women in Medieval Japan, and my historical question is, “what roles did women uphold in Medieval Japan?”

The two sources used to answer the historical question, is a diary called the ‘Sarahina Nikki’, and a woodblock printing of The Battle of Awazu.

The ‘Sarashina Nikki’ is a primary source, and it is an original document of a diary, written by Lady Sarashina. It describes her life experiences from when she was a child to an adult. The author was from Japan, and her class in society was the peasantry. She lived in the position of an author when she created the diary, and it was written from 1020 to 1059.
Its content was not biased, and its time and place rule was extremely accurate. It was an unwitting source, …show more content…

It illustrates a significant fight during the battle. He was from Japan, and he lived about 714 years after the event in the source took place, as a peasant in society. The printing was produced in April 1899.
It does not have biased content, but its time and place rule was not very accurate. It was a witting source, and the artist produced the printing, so he could display his artistic skill and for commercial purposes. It contains factual, truthful and positive contents. It was targeted at a large audience, and was created in April 1899. Its evidence can be cross-referenced with a website about women’s life in Feudal Japan by Skwirk.

The ‘Sarashina Nikki’ is a primary source, which can answer the historical question, because it explores a woman’s daily life and roles in Medieval Japan. It revealed Lady Sarashina’s roles, such as being a farmer, a person who tends for her home and family, and a religiously devoted person. The historical question can therefore be answered, because the source provides documentation of a woman’s daily life in Medieval …show more content…

She is seen in the centre of the printing. In the artwork, she proves her role as a samurai, by preparing to kill an enemy, and by defending her side in battle. It proves that some women held the role of being a samurai, and that the source is able to answer the historical question.

Both sources can be used for the historical investigation of many aspects in Medieval Japan.
The ‘Sarashina Nikki’, is useful for historical investigation on the aspects of men in Japan, rituals and ceremonies, the geographic features of Japan, literature and religious systems. The woodblock printing of the Battle of Awazu can be used for historical investigation on the aspects of Medieval Japanese civil wars, samurai, armoury and weaponry, feudalism and men and women in Japan.
In the topic of women, I have learned that different classes separated them, and their class determined their roles in society. Many women who were peasants often tended to their homes and families, worked as farmers and were religiously devoted. There were a number of women who served as samurai, and they had to respect males, be educated in their culture and fight in battles. Overall, l learned that women held many important roles and contributed much to Medieval Japanese

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