Hierarchy of Japanese Women during the Medieval Era

The status of a Japanese woman during the early medieval era was very crucial.
Since women held a position of prominence, the different hierarchies of women were so
important that their freedom solely depended on it. During this time, Japanese men were
valued more and was favored by the society rather than women, so despite such freedom,
it was still very limited. The Japanese women were intended to serve and obey the men
in their life may it be her father, husband and/or son. Women during this era were very
well rounded. Each class of women had their own duties to fulfill, but their main duty
was to take care of the family.
Lower class and the upper class women differ in many ways. In the freedom of
having property, women of upper class did not have the right to own a property unlike the
lower class women. This became true after Japan became a warrior-based country, having
it very male-dominated. As opposed to how important they may sound, the women of the
high status receive the least amount of freedom. The highest-ranking women was obliged
to get married with someone chosen by their family, who would help increase their social
status. The main purpose of this is to create an alliance to make sure each of the family
clan was in good favor. If ever a woman do chooses to be single, it is only allowed for
spiritual purposes. However, her social status will get lowered. Low class women on the
other hand, were allowed to choose when to get married, whom they will marry and how
many men they will marry. They were free to use their money earned as they wish. Their
jobs usually include house labor, farming, caring for the husbands, housewives or
servants.
All Japanese women were required to fight a battle sometime in their life. They
had to guard their homes in times of war. The women who were set out to train and fight
just like the men warriors were called Samurai women, only a few women were part of
this group. However, they were barely put to battle because the primary reason for being
taught such skills was to be able to protect their family and homes in times of need.
Opposed to what a typical samurai is characterized, samurai women were expected to be
humbly submissive to men and being disobedient was not an option. Women and
children were not exempted from the war. They were taught at least a few forms of selfdefense to protect their kin before they get married. Samurai wives were also tasked to
command soldiers in case their husbands were away. There were also ninja women in the
Japanese society and they were referred to as Kunoichi. These women were spies and
often act as household servants with a hidden agenda. They use their beauty and
seduction to lure their victims and end up killing them.
Infamously known, Geishas were a big part of the Japanese women society. These
are women who are entertainers and were paid to give company to men who are usually
older. They are colloquially named high-class hookers. Contrary to how they are known,
Geishas were actually the most respected women in their society. Before being a geisha,
they were called maikos and were taught how to communicate with men, alongside
learning how to gracefully dance and sing. A geisha was respected enough that even if

she was sent out to assassinate a daimyo, the daimyo would have no defense against her
and wouldnt even think twice of killing her himself.
While it is true that Japanese women during the medieval times had absolutely
little or no freedom, it wasnt always that way. Long before Japan became warrior based
and male-dominated, women were considered powerful. During ancient times, they were
allowed to rule because it was believed that women brought peace and control to their
country. Women were said to bring serenity to Japan and its people while ruling them.
Also, during the Heian period, women were allowed to inherit and take charge of their
own property in their name.

Sources:
http://medievjapan.weebly.com/role-of-women-in-society.html
http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-177_t-516_c-1922/nsw/history/medieval-and-earlymodern-societies-japan/life-in-feudal-japan/women
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/TWWH04.html
http://www.colorado.edu/cas/tea/curriculum/imaging-japanesehistory/medieval/essay.html
http://www.japanpowered.com/japan-culture/gender-roles-women-modern-japan