The process of contemporaneity in Japan led the beginning of the metamorphosis of women's roles within Japanese society. Throughout history, Japan has emphasized strict gender roles. Indeed, the social position and status of women in Japanese society can actually be ascribed to the philosophy of Confucianism: a system of social and ethical philosophy. This idea and the emphasis on following this lifestyle promoted a disregard for women's participation in Japanese society and public affairs, as well as their overall social status. There are undoubtedly traces of these Confucian influences in Japanese society today. However, despite the long-standing remnants of this philosophy, the public role of women has changed significantly from their subservient responsibilities during the important Tokugawa feudal period. Throughout Japanese history, the failure to respect gender roles and expectations began, especially with regard to women, and the consequent emergence of the "moga" (modern woman). This illustration of “moga” served as a close-up lens into the complex, kaleidoscope-like labyrinth of the metamorphosis of women's roles within Japanese society and history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Tokugawa period (1603-1868) not only served as a driving force in making Japan a force to be reckoned with in the East, but this significant era of tranquility also shaped the gender expectations of the Japanese... and continues to influence them today. Confucian ideas, when analyzed more closely and carefully, seemed, in their essence, to weaken and erode women's ability to hold significant power in Japanese society. Thus, such a philosophy emphasized hierarchy and patriarchy. Therefore, Japanese women accepted a subjugated citizenship under the influence of such a widespread belief in Japan. This philosophical thought is especially evident in Musubi's Story, an account of a Tokugawa samurai written by Katsu Kokichi that provides a bracing close-up lens on Japanese society, customs, and life. In this compelling story, Kokichi provides compelling details that support the significance of Confucian ideas in Japanese society. Kokichi illustrates that Japanese schools must also transmit Confucian values, such as loyalty and the virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. Confucian values ​​were emphasized in the minds of young children; ideas that they will consequently carry with them into adulthood and which will ultimately influence Japanese society as a whole. Therefore, such notions and philosophies formulated the values ​​of the county of Japan and its inhabitants during the Tokugawa period. Furthermore, the philosophy of Confucianism, a system of social and ethical philosophy, is reflected in the division of Japan into a marked four-tier class system: samurai, artisans, farmers and merchants. Each class expressed its own ranks and degrees of hierarchy; strongly evident among the ruling Samurai: a member of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan, thus validating the extent of the significance that Confucian philosophies have within Japanese society. And even more than that, of course, each class had its own gender roles and expectations to uphold. A close examination of women's roles in Tokugawa Japan reveals both the complexity and complexity of the relationship between the country's restrictive rules and its women. As modernization took shape in societyJapanese, women's roles eventually evolved and even took a different shape. The image or illustration of the moga, or “modern girl,” illustrated the place of the Japanese woman in the modern world. However, moga was, without a doubt, often met with great anguish, given the threat that liberated and freedom-seeking women posed to the morally driven Confucian values ​​of Japanese society. The feudal system of Tokugawa Japan was well preserved by the policy of isolation or “closed country” (sakoku). Such a system certainly served to keep Japan in a state of almost complete isolation. Of course, Japan's isolation and lack of contact with other different nations, cultures, and people greatly preserved the country's feudal rule. It is in fact within this system that the Confucian lifestyle, typical above all of the Tokugawa period, emerged in all aspects of Japanese life: economically, politically and socially. Thus, in this isolated feudal era of Japanese history, a rigid and inflexible class system emerged. This extends to the idea that the Tokugawa period proved to be a time when women in Japan experienced limited women's rights. The beliefs and values ​​of this era pushed, in a sense, Japanese women to fulfill domestic and family responsibilities through a marital role. Because Japanese society believed that the most important role for a woman was to be a loyal and obedient spouse, they were therefore silenced for making contributions to their own lives, including domestic, educational, and political affairs. Restrictive Values ​​Japanese women were expected to follow, unfortunately this resulted in a lack of mobility in pursuing opportunities outside of domestic responsibilities. On the other hand, Japanese men received a thorough education, as society believed was their right, and could hold leadership roles. Meanwhile, the average woman in Tokugawa Japan fulfilled her household duties and raised her children until they were old enough to leave on their own. Therefore, having children, in a certain sense, seemed to be considered a patriotic duty of the Japanese woman. In a sense, the Japanese woman seemed to be the face of Japan's moral foundation. If the image of the traditional Confucian family were shattered, not only the family but also society would unite. His moral foundation would then become unstable... cracked. Ergo, was domestication an honorable duty for women as Japanese society believed it to be? The Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), which occurred immediately after the feudal Tokugawa period (1603-1868), represented Japan as a country that embraced nascent modernity. The fall of the Tokugawa shogunate preceded the beginning of a restructuring of Japan's economy, politics and society. The Meiji Restoration was a period of industrial development and social change. The Meiji Restoration represented a shattering of conventional Japanese thought and instead the emergence of modern Western European thought. The emergence of modern Western European perspectives attracted the attention of thinkers such as Fukuzawa Yukichi who insisted on the equality of the sexes and the system of monogamy. Fukuzawa Yukichi is often credited with being one of the first prominent figures to speak openly about women and their position in society. Fukuzawa had very early advocated the importance of education for women and also improving their position in society. Fukuzawa founded academic journals such as Meiroku Zashi. In the newspaper, Fukuzawa criticized Japan's stance towards a companystrongly patriarchal and insisted on the independence and liberation of women. Although short-lived, Meiroku Zashi undoubtedly became an important forum for the discussion of issues relating to civilization and enlightenment. Such an extraordinary stance by Fukuzawa soon marked the beginning of female school education and the possibility for women to explore opportunities beyond the domestic sphere. an intriguing period in Japan's illustrious history. The Taisho era continued Japan's modernization process. This period not only encouraged the evolution of Japan's once isolationist ideals towards the adoption of an expansionist personality, but also pushed for a turning economic and political development. With Japan's growing international presence and domestic liberalism, modernization flourished within the country. The Taisho era was undoubtedly an electrifying time for the Japanese people and even more so for its women. And even more, it was a time driven by innovation and industrial enthusiasm. Japan has seen an acceleration of social expression, and as the era has changed, the Japanese woman has unquestionably evolved as well. It was the era of the moga, the modern woman par excellence; a liberated individual who represented a new sense of freedom. It soon became apparent that modernism and imperialism could not go hand in hand, especially through literary scholars such as Jun'ichirō Tanizaki through his novel Naomi. Tanizaki writes famous literature that presents a scandalous, emerging world of degrading sexuality and desires. Through this text, Tanizaki is inspired to illustrate the change of the Japanese woman. Naomi reflects the complex and differentiated transformation of women in Japan. Tanizaki opens this literary text with an image of the Taisho woman through Naomi, a character with whom the text shares the same name. The changing Japanese woman, like Naomi, was seen as something of a nuisance during Japan's transition into the modern era. Naomi, the protagonist, showcases her opposition – and undeniably the resistance of the Japanese woman – towards the “obsolete” traditions of Japan. In the text, Naomi delves into the world of the emancipated woman, a woman that Japan had just met. Much like the new roles women discovered in Taisho Japan, many rejected the traditional "good wife, wise mother" lifestyle that was heavily emphasized. in Japanese society. Instead they began to embrace the idea of ​​the moga. Just like the character Naomi, who sported short hairstyles and hemlines, so did Japanese moga, along with an unbridled outlook on life. Naomi is a woman with little hesitation. She enjoyed “Western activities” such as going to the movies and reading “Western magazines.” She is the perfect example of moga con. Throughout the novel, she manages to take control of her relationship with Jōji, starting as a once-subordinate young woman to becoming a dominant woman. Thus Tanizaki, through Naomi, establishes the idea that women in Japan began to take part in a social and cultural revolution established to break traditional norms. Both the Japanese "moga" and the titular character Naomi detested the restrictions of traditional expectations for women. settle down and fulfill the role of a good wife and wise mother. Tanizaki uses Naomi as a metaphor for evolving gender roles in Japan: Naomi refused to undergo a “traditional” marriage with her husband Jōji. The character Naomi serves as a literary manifestation of the transformation and revolution of the gender role of Japanese women during the Taisho era. In the novel, Naomi transforms into a modern woman when, for example, she returns to her husbandafter a certain period of distance, it appears before him as: “a black silhouette like a bear” which: “bursts into the room from the darkness outside. There was an unknown young Western woman in a pale blue French crepe dress.” Naomi is no longer recognizable to Jōji, like the unrecognizable transformation of the Japanese moga. From now on, Naomi's transformation into a "Western" woman is the symbol of the Japanese woman's desire, perhaps since the Tokugawa period, to manifest a life in a less rigid society. Thus, through the text Naomi, Tanizaki illustrates the modern transformation of the Japanese woman and encourages reflection on the Japanese woman's search for her own identity in a changing world. It is intriguing to observe the changes in gender roles in post-war Japan, particularly those of Japanese women. changing role in contemporary Japanese society. The emergence of post-war Japan offered Japanese women the opportunity to take up more “scandalous” occupations such as being comfort women. After Imperial Japan's defeat in World War II was followed by an aura of denial of its surrender. State authorities encouraged the construction of “comfort” facilities – including brothers, bars, cabarets and restaurants – to, in a sense, “comfort” the military occupiers because they were “obsessed with defeat”. In the post-war period, women were mobilized as sex slaves and prostitutes by police and labor brokers, right-wing politicians and fascist organizations. The initiative was aimed at protecting the Japanese "national body", a concept of identity and unity. With the loss of the country, this initiative helped the Japanese authorities establish a new sense of community. In a sense, gender and sexuality were mediated by Japanese women's bodies, serving as important components in the clash between the fall of the Japanese empire and the rise of the American empire, thus paving the way for the emergence of nationalism in Japan. of the post-war period. The cultivation of leisure directly affected the social status of women who worked in the pleasure district. It is interesting to note the extent to which female sexuality was condemned in the pre-war era through the image of the “moga”, but now their sexuality seems to be used openly – and in high demand. This is undoubtedly a leap from the traditional “good wife, wise mother” role that was once prevalent in Japanese society. It is inevitable to take into account women and Japan's history of change. Author Sayaka Murata meditates on a more contemporary Japanese society through her literary work: Convenience Store Woman. In this novel Murata illustrates how the role of women continues to change even in the 21st century. Although there remain unspoken rules in Japanese society about the occupations a woman should hold, Murata challenges these expectations. Over a short history in time, the Japanese woman has had the opportunity to be a mother, wife and comfort woman. Murata conveys the concept of newfound female freedom in her novel through the protagonist Keiko Furukura, who perplexes those around her by working in a convenience store. Murata, through Convenience Store Woman, questions what Japanese society considers an acceptable career for a woman. In the novel, Keiko loves working in a convenience store. However, those around her do not seem to understand her pleasure in this occupation, much to her frustration. To them, she should have gotten a “better” job, or gotten married and had kids by now, as she is in her mid-thirties. Murata provides a close lens on the pressing nature of social norms, especially in:.