Japanese Girls and Women

A nineteenth century non-fiction book inscribed in a brief period in history that will live on for many generations. This book is sophisticated in a way that modern non-fiction history books have not been able to achieve.

Let’s Dive in…

From the book:

“The flexibility of the knees, which is required for comfort in the Japanese method of sitting, is gained in very early youth by the habit of setting a baby down with its knees bent under it, instead of with its legs out straight before it, as seems to us the natural way.

To the Japanese, the normal way for a baby to sit is with its knees bent under it, and so, at a very early age, the muscles and tendons of the knees are accustomed to what seems to us a most unnatural and uncomfortable posture.”

Synopsis

As a resident of Japan for many years, Alice Mabel Bacon wrote Japanese Girls and Women which is well-organized, observant, and serious.

In addition to providing information on general Japanese social traditions and the ongoing reformation in the 1880s, the book systematically covers the typical lives of Japanese women of all ages, social classes, and occupations.

Analyses and comparisons are provided with the reports, particularly with their Western counterparts. Several women's stories and portraits are also included.

An American woman from a middle-class New England family sees Japan through the eyes of a Christian American woman in the 19th century.

Since her family hosted the daughter of a samurai when she was a child, this clearly influenced her views on Japanese culture.

This book is the ultimate companion to any study about Japanese social history in relation to its perspective on the Japanese class system, their cultural past, and the moral framework of their society.