girls, as well as of married women, vary according to taste and
circumstances. In ancient days, however,--and the custom still prevails
in some of the more conservative regions,--the hair of the female
children was cut short at the neck and allowed to hang down loosely till
the girl reached the age of eight years. At about twelve or thirteen,
the hair was usually bound up, although frequently this was delayed till
the girl became a wife. In the romantic poem of Mushimaro, _The Maiden
of Unahi_, we find this custom referred to, as well as the custom of
secluding the young girl from the eyes of her would-be suitors:
"For they locked her up as a child of eight,
When her hair hung loosely still;
And now her tresses were gathered up,
To float no more at will."
As a rule, the women wear no head covering whatever, except that which
their luxuriant hair furnishes. In the coldest weather, however, they
wrap the head gracefully in a headgear of cloth. Gloves are rarely seen
upon the dainty hands of the women, and shoes are worn only when out of
doors.
The costume of the Japanese women was, and in great measure still is,
marked by simplicity and sameness of cut. There is no variation of
style--fond as the women of the country are of dress. In the material
used and in the color, however, they have ample scope for the display of
their exquisite taste, their individuality, and their wealth. The age of
the woman may aiso be determined with considerable accuracy by her
manner of dress, for a Japanese woman has no sensitiveness on this
score. The girl baby is clothed "in the brightest colors, and largest of
patterns, and looks like a gay butterfly or a tropical bird. As she
grows older, colors become quieter, figures smaller, stripes narrower,
until in old age she becomes a little gray moth, or a plain-colored
sparrow." The hair and head ornaments also vary with the age of the
wearer; so that one who is acquainted with the Japanese mode can read
the age of his lady friend within a few years, at most. The V-neck is
the uniform fashion in Japan, and when a woman of the better classes is
properly clothed in her native costume she presents a most graceful and
attractive appearance. When appropriate, she wears a sort of cloak
fastened with a cord, and the familiar _kimono_ made without any plaits,
lapped over in front and confined with a broad sash which is looped in a
big bunch at the back to conceal the plainness of the _kimono_. This
sash, or _obi_, and the collar, or _eri_, are usually of the finest silk
the women can afford, and are altogether the gayest portion of the
habit. When a Japanese woman is at her best, she may be imagined to have
just stepped from a group painted upon some artistic fan, especially
when in the hands are the umbrella and the lantern. The women of the
poorer classes, however, are often meagrely clad--sometimes too scantily
so for decency. They peddle their wares or work in the fields, barefoot
and almost naked. The shoes of a Japanese lady are so constructed that
they may be easily taken off before entering the house, as is the
custom. There is first put on a short stocking, or _tabi_, which reaches
a little above the ankle and fastens in the back. This is made after the
fashion of a mitten, that the great toe may be separate from the others;
for a cord is to pass between the toes to hold in the _geta_, or
"shoes." There are several styles of these; some are partly of leather,
to cover the toes on rainy days; some are merely straw sandals; while
others are of wood, which are clumsy and lift the feet quite above the
ground, and when worn make much noise along the streets.
In Japan, the disgrace of not being married does not arrive so early in
the young girl's life, as is the case in some countries of the East. And
yet, even here it will not do for a woman to wait until the age of
twenty-five without having made her peace with the god of matrimony.
Usually, however, marriage, which to a Japanese woman is almost as much
a matter of course as death itself, comes at the age of sixteen or
eighteen. Here, too, the girl of the land of the Cherry Blossom is given
more freedom of choice as respects the question who her life partner
shall be than is generally true in the East; but marry she must. The
inevitable Eastern "go-between" is of value here. The first steps in
Japanese courting are undertaken by him in consultation with the parents
of the girl who it is thought will make the inquiring young man happy.
Opportunity is given, at the home of some mutual friend, for the couple
to meet and pass upon each other's qualities. If there is mutual
admiration, or, indeed, if the young people find no reason why they
should not be joined in marriage, the engagement present, a piece of
silk, used for the girdle by the groomsman, is given, and finally
arrangements are made for the wedding.
[Illustration 6:_WOMAN'S TASTE IN JAPAN After the water-color by
Charles E. Fripp There is no variation of style--fond as the women are
of dress. In the material used and in the color, however, they have
ample scope for the display of their exquisite taste, their
individuality, and their wealth. The age of the woman may also be
determined with considerable accuracy by her manner of dress, for a
Japanese woman has no sensitiveness on this score. The girl baby is "in
the brightest colors. As she grows older, colors become quieter, figures
smaller." The hair and head ornaments vary with the age of the wearer.
The V-neck is the uniform fashion in Japan, and when a woman of the
better classes is properly clothed in her native costume she presents a
most graceful and attractive appearance._]
The marriage ceremony is not at the home of the bride, but at the house
of the groom, to which the bride is taken, her belongings, such as her
bureau, writing desk, bedding, trays, dining tables, chopsticks, etc.,
having gone before. The giving of presents is often profuse. But it is
not the bride and groom alone who are remembered; the groom's family,
from the oldest to the youngest, the servants, even the humblest, are
presented with gifts by the members of the bride's family. The gifts to
the newly wedded pair are often very practical, consisting of silk for
clothing or of articles of household use; and it is not uncommon for a
bride to receive dress goods enough to last her her lifetime. The
ceremony itself is simple and impressive. Friends and relatives
generally are not present. The bride and groom are there, of course;
besides these are the go-betweens of the couple, and a young girl, whose
duty it is to take the cup of _sake_, or native wine of Japan, and press
it successively to the lips of the contracting parties, emblematic of
the coming joys and sorrows of their common married life. The wedding
guests, who have been waiting in the next room, now appear with their
congratulations, and merriment and feasting follow. On the third day
after the marriage, the bride's parents must give to the couple another
wedding feast. At this the bride's relatives receive presents in return
for the large number of gifts sent by them on the wedding day to the
household of the groom. Announcement of the marriage is not sent out
until two or three months later; it is then made in the form of an
invitation, sent out by the bride and groom, to an entertainment at
their house. Acknowledgments of the bridal presents sent by friends
must, of course, be made. This is done in sending to those who remember
the young pair gifts of _kawameshi_, or "red rice."
It will be seen that there is in the conduct of a wedding in Japan
neither legal nor religious sanction. The only prescribed formality is
the erasure of the bride's name from the register of her father's family
and its insertion in that of the husband's. She is no longer a part of
the genealogical tree. She lives with and is a part of the groom's
household. The exception to the custom is found in the _yoshii_, or
"young man," who becomes a part of his wife's family, taking her family
name and repudiating his own. This is done when in a family there are no
boys who may inherit the estate and name. Some youth is then found,
usually a younger member of a household, who can be induced to leave his
heritage and unite himself with a brotherless daughter of another house.
He cuts himself off absolutely from his own people and raises up heirs
for his wife's people. But he has not the standing and authority of the
woman's husband, for he becomes the servant of his mother-in-law, and
may be sent back to his people if he does not conduct himself in a way
acceptable to his wife's family; or if they should weary of his
presence. Ordinarily, children are scarcely regarded as of the mother at
all--the blood is all the father's. The low social standing of the
mother in no way impairs the rank or respectability of the children. The
past few decades have witnessed many notable changes in Japan, and there
is a reaching out after legislation that shall make the marriage
relation more satisfactory and permanent, for divorces have been the
frequent cause of great hardships, especially upon the women, who have
little opportunity to earn an honorable living when once the marriage
tie has been broken. Home life is kept comparatively pure in Japan, but
the price is enormous. The abandoned woman carries on her business or
has it carried on for her with shameless openness. The ideals of purity
are far higher among the women than among the men. And yet, chastity is
not regarded as the highest virtue among Japanese women as among
northwestern people. Obedience to the will of the husband stands first
in the list of virtues. Thus, Japanese women have often been known to
sell their chastity in order that they might save their husbands from
debt or disgrace, and they have received the plaudits of the public for
what is styled their fidelity to their husbands' interest.
In few, if any, countries of the Orient do the women appear in public
as the equals of their husbands. The Japanese women of the lower social
classes, when they go out with their spouses, follow on behind, bearing
whatever burden is to be borne. In trains or crowded rooms it is the
women who stand, and not the men. Japanese gallantry is not shown in
such public courtesies as are commonly offered to women in the United
States. The wife does not begin her wedded life with the thought of
equality with her husband; and, in law, he is greatly her superior
unless, happily, her husband should be motherless. Next to her duties to
her parents-in-law, the wife's great concern is to be a good
housekeeper, rather than a companion for her husband. She must, with due
self-control and even with smiling face, humor the whims and the vices
of her lord and master, even though he bring another woman into the
home. But it may be said that the Japanese husband extends to a legal
wife comparative respect and even honor, if, as the mother of children,
she fulfils well her duties. Third in line of demand upon a wife's care,
stand the children. In them the Japanese mother takes delight; and here
the self-control which she has learned almost from the cradle stands her
in good stead and beautifully exhibits itself, for she seldom loses her
temper or scolds her children. Even the wealthy women come in contact
with their children and personally guide their lives. The training of
the girls is almost entirely in the hands of the mother; and the
domestic cares of routine life are under her skilful direction. In the
rural districts the activities of women are enlarged by the part they
take in the making of the crops, the running of the rice fields, the
production of tea, the harvesting of grain, and the care of the
silkworms, the bringing of products to market, and the like. But the
freedom they thus enjoy makes amends, in a measure, for the more
burdensome work of which their sisters of the city know nothing.
The _geishas_, or singing girls of Japan, are, physically speaking,
among the most attractive examples of female grace. The word _geishas_
means "accomplished persons," and these girls are trained in the art of
making themselves agreeable. They are accomplished in music, singing,
and playing the _samisen_, witty in conversation, and beautiful in
figure. Theirs is a regular occupation, their services being sought on
occasions when entertainment is the chief concern. While these girls do
not come from the higher social circles, some of them marry well and
become the mothers of reputable families, while many others, yielding to
the strong temptations incident to their employment, become the
concubines of some well-to-do citizen or lead lives even lower in the
moral scale.
Among the special occupations of women may be mentioned that of acting;
for there are women's theatres in which all the parts are performed by
women. Men and women never appear on the same stage. In literature, two
Japanese women have gained the distinction of having written the two
greatest native works--works admittedly at the very acme of Japanese
classics. One of these is _Genji Monogatari_, or "Romance of Genji," and
the other _Makura Zoshi_, or "Book of the Pillow." The authoresses of
the two masterpieces, both court ladies living in the eleventh century
of our era, were Murasaki Shikibu and Seisho Nagon. To their names may
be added that of a brilliant female contemporary Ise no Taiyu. The
Emperor Ichijo, who reigned at that period, was a distinguished patron
of letters. He gathered about him men and women of culture, and the more
lasting literary monuments of his day are those written by women. The
work of these gifted women is marked by ease and grace of movement,
fluency of diction, and lightness of artistic touch.
Murasaki Shikibu was a lady of noble birth. She was, in her youth, maid
of honor to the daughter of the prime minister of that day. This
daughter, Jioto Monin, became wife of the Emperor Ichijo, and from this
station of influence became a most valuable patroness of Murasaki, the
talented authoress. She herself married a noble, and their daughter also
became a writer of note, producing a work of fiction called _Sagoromo_,
or "Narrow Sleeves."
The chief work of this noted Japanese authoress, Murasaki, is what may
be called a historic novel, _Genji Monogatari_, or "The Romance of
Genji." In this story the writer gives an accurate view of the
conditions which surrounded court life in the tenth century of our era.
From the romance of _Gengi_ it may be seen, as a native Japanese critic
has said, that "Society lost sight, to a great extent of true morality,
and the effeminacy of the people constituted the chief feature of the
age. Men were ready to carry on sentimental adventures whenever they
found opportunities, and the ladies of the times were not disposed to
discourage them. The court was the focus of society, the utmost ambition
of ladies was to be introduced there."
In those early days of Japanese life, it was not an unknown occurrence
for a woman when plunged into the depths of some disappointment or
overwhelming grief to take the oath of a religious recluse. "Her
conscience," says Sama-no-Kami, "when she takes the fatal vow may be
pure and unsullied and nothing may seem able again to call her back to
the world which she forsook. But as time rolls on, some household
servant or aged nurse brings her tidings that the lover has been unable
to cast her out of his heart, and his tears drop silently when he hears
aught about her. Then, when she hears of his abiding affection and his
constant heart and thinks of the uselessness of the sacrifice she has
made voluntarily, she touches the hair on her forehead, and she becomes
regretful. She may indeed do her best to persevere in her resolve; but
if one single tear bedew her cheek, she is no longer strong in the
sanctity of her vow. Weakness of this kind would be in the life of
Buddha more sinful than those offences which are committed by those who
never leave the lay circle at all, and she would eventually return to
the world."
There are many short Japanese poems which breathe of love, and tell of
womanly charm. These short poems are highly prized, and many of them are
familiar to the majority of the people. Among the women who won
distinction as writers of love poems was the Lady Sakanoe, who lived in
the eighth century. She was a woman of high position, being the daughter
of a prime minister and wife of the viceroy of the island of Skioku. Her
poems are among the most popular in Japanese literature, and some of
them reveal a high order of imaginative power.
Japanese poetry, which has been described as "the one original product
of the Japanese mind," contains many references to woman, her loves, her
laments, her passions, her ills. Sometimes the loyalty of a maiden's
love is set forth--as in a poem by the Lady Sakanoe in the _Manyoshu_:
"Full oft he swore with accents true and tender,
'Though years roll by my love shall never wax old,'
And so to him my heart I did surrender,
Clear as a mirror of pure burnished gold."
A large number of the love poems are sensual; yet, pure love breathes in
many others, as in _A Maiden's Lament_, a poem by the Lady Sakanoe, and
in the _Elegy_ written by Nibi upon his wife. The poet Sosei, also, has
written words that speak to the heart:
"I asked my soul where springs the ill-crowned seed
That bears the herb of dull forgetfulness;
And answer straightway came; th' accursed weed,
Grows in that heart which knows no tenderness."
The mutual regard of husband and wife in early Japanese life is
beautifully expressed in an anonymous poem in the _Manyoshu_. A wife
laments that while other women's husbands are seen riding along the road
in proud array, her own husband trudges along the weary way afoot:
"Come, take the mirror and the veil,
My mother's parting gifts to me;
In barter they must sure avail,
To buy a horse to carry thee."
To which self-denying love, the husband graciously replies:
"And I should purchase me a horse,
Must not my wife still sadly walk?
No, no, though stony is our course,
We'll trudge along and sweetly talk."
There have been many able women in this land of the Cherry Blossom, and
the Japanese people have not been blind to their claims to recognition
as controlling forces. This is shown by the fact that no less than nine
empresses have ruled the land. Some of them have been women of marked
sagacity and influence. On the dim borderland of the mythical, for
example, history shows us the heroic Empress Jingu Kogo, who, tradition
says, was the conqueror of Corea, and the embodiment of all that is good
and great in Japanese womanhood.
Among the women of Japanese legend is the Maiden of Unahi, the story of
whose noble life and death has been often sung by the poets. Her tomb is
to-day pointed out in the province of Settsu, between Kobe and Osaka.
Such heroines of the earlier days have furnished inspiration for the
women of Japan for many generations; and the ideals of domestic life are
far higher than might be expected in a region of the world where women,
as a rule, live out their round of life upon a general plane that is
sorrowfully low.
The present generation in Japan has been truly blessed by the influence
of an empress who is described as not only "charming, intellectual,
refined, and lovely," but also "noble and beautiful in character." Haru
Ko, born of noble parentage, became empress in the year 1868. Her
husband had just come to the throne at the age of seventeen. This was
the very year of the downfall of the Shogunate and the restoration of
the imperial power. Though reared in seclusion at Kioto, the young
empress began at once to measure up to the responsibilities which her
position had in store for her. She proceeded to exert her influence in
favor of the elevation of the women of her country. Without hesitancy,
she mingled personally among the people, administering charity to them.
Very early in her life as empress, in the year 1871, she gave a special
audience to five little girls of the military class who were about to
set out for America in order to study to prepare themselves for the
larger life of womanhood in the new Japan. From the beginning of the
school established for daughters of the nobility, who are expected to
play an important part in the Japan that is to be, she has taken great
interest in its progress.
The religious side of a Japanese woman's life, as has been intimated,
is remarkably undeveloped. In the portico of a certain temple in the
interior of Japan is found this inscription: "Neither horses, cattle,
nor women admitted here." This may be taken as but one intimation of the
fact that little in the way of religion is expected of the female sex.
The introduction of Buddhism into Japan marked an epoch in the country's
history; but Buddhism has done little for woman, for she does not occupy
so exalted a position under it as under the more ancient religion.
Shintoism has its priestesses and Buddhism its nuns, but neither of
these religions has brought any noteworthy blessing to the women of the
kingdom. The ancient religions still influence their lives. The
multitude of temples still claim the veneration of the people. Kioto
retains its eminence as the chief seat of ecclesiastical learning, but
the Western spirit has found an entrance into the land of the Cherry
Blossom; traditional customs are yielding to its influence, and
inveterate prejudices are bending before it.
The progress of Christian ideals has in recent years been rapid, and
Western religious teaching has advanced with giant strides. Recent
legislation has done something to increase the stability of the home by
making divorce less easy. The putting of concubinage under the ban by
not allowing the children of concubines to inherit a noble title, making
this law apply even to the son of the emperor himself, who must also
hereafter be son of the empress if he would inherit the throne, will
also mean much for the elevation of womanhood in the land of the cherry
and the japonica.
XIV
WOMEN OF THE BACKWARD RACES OF THE EAST
No volume upon the women of the Orient could be deemed complete without
some account of those women whose lives have been developed remote from
the larger movements of civilization,--the women of the backward races,
and those whose sphere has been contracted, not by social ideals simply,
but by virtue of the lack of that larger opportunity of world contact
which has given to some peoples a far more powerful impulse to progress
than has been the privilege of others. As representatives of this class
we may choose the women of the South Seas and of some of the African
tribes. These will furnish us typical examples.
George Eliot has declared that "the happiest women, like the happiest
nations, have no history." In the advance of the world's civilization
from crude savagery to high culture, woman's part, though of
incalculable value, has, generally speaking, been unheralded. Bearing
the brunt of the downward burden, while man's shoulder presses upward,
woman, from the beginning, has had a minor place in written history. But
even among the obscurer races she has managed to bear her part with
marked happiness. This seems to be notably true among the island women
of the world. The peoples of the seas, removed from many of the pressing
conditions and harsh frictions which are present in the larger countries
of the continent, exhibit a freedom, if the term may be justly applied
to undeveloped races, which is not the possession of many of the larger
and older nations of men. One is prepared, of course, for great variety
of blood, custom, and development among the peoples who inhabit the
islands and the lands that lie out of the beaten track of travel and
commerce. There is probably no part of the world where the races of
mankind have become more mixed than in the South Seas.