Study about "Yamamba" Introduction 　1. What is Yamamba? 　2. Origin of Yamamba 　3. Yamamba and Japanese Mythology (1) Birth of gods (2) Beginning of Agriculture 　4. Comparison with the Western Europe (1) Characteristics of Western perspectives (2) Characteristics of Japanese perspectives 　5. Past and Present of Women in Japan (1)Female emperors in ancient times (2) Treatment of adulterous wives in the Middle Ages (3) Marriage and divorce in the Edo period (4) Retaliation against adulterous wives and its compromise (5) Femicide in modern Japan Conclusion References ************************** Introduction. ◯ Gender Gap Index in 2023 Japan is ranked 125th out of 146 countries, the lowest ever ◯ Fertility rate of 1.26 in 2022, has seen a decrease for seven consecutive years. ◯ Key issues in Japan: Population decline / declining birthrate ◯ Is the gender gap one of the causes? ◯ The current situation of Japanese women cannot be measured only by the index ************************ 1. What is Yamamba? ◯ An old woman who provides lodging for travelers and eats them while they sleep. ◯ She does not settle, she is free, wild, strong and possesses extraordinary power. ◯ She is old but increasingly prosperous; she has a fertile body and the power to give birth. ◯ She is able to influence men who rule the village and its order. ◯ The man of the village manages female reproduction and their sexual desire. ◯ She is deviated from the female gender role in the village, she lacks chastity, obedience, mercy, tolerance, and humility. ◯ She shows resistance and rebellion against men based on their wild vitality. ◯ Yanagida Kunio ⇒ Yamamba inhabits not the land of Hades, but deep in the mountains of this world. She can be young or old, and sometimes eats people. She is undefined and changes her appearances. She also possesses strong vitality and sexual desire. She hides her true identity as a great mother goddess. A fearsome demoness, she sometimes bestows blessings on the village. ◯ Hayao Kawai ⇒ A variant of "Great Mother (engulfing mother)" who prevents her son's ego. ************************ 2. Origin of Yamamba ◯ It first appears in literature in the Nara period. ◯ The myth of Izanami is said to be the origin of Yamamba (Atsuhiko Yoshida). Some say that it dates back to the belief in a goddess, or, that she was a woman who was abandoned. There are many theories, including one that she is the equivalent of a witch in Western Europe. ◯ She has been passed down through folk tales and has appeared in sagas and chants since the Middle Ages. She has been depicted in paintings, Kabuki, and stories in modern times. ◯ During the Edo period, there was a great boom of various works called "Yamamba-mono”. Chikamatsu Joruri, Kabuki, Tokiwazu, Tomimoto, Kiyomoto, and others, also Kana Zoshi, Ukiyo Zoshi, woodblock prints by Kitagawa Utamaro, etc., numerous stories were created about Yamamba. *********************** 3. Yamamba and Japanese Mythology (1) Birth of gods ◯ Izanaki and Izanami gave birth to the Japanese islands and gods. Izanami was severely burned in the birth canal during the birth of Kagutsuchi, god of fire, and died. Izanaki went to Hades to retrieve his wife, even though he was told not to look at her on the way home, Izanaki, sees her covered with maggots and ran away (Very similar to the Greek myth of Orpheus). ◯ Kojiki" ⇒ Later, when Izanaki was purifying himself in the river, Amaterasu came out of his left eye and his younger brother Tsukuyomi came out of his right eye, and her younger brother Susanoo from his nose. ◯ Amaterasu was commanded to rule over the high heaven, Tsukuyomi over the night, and Susanoo over the sea. Susanoo cried out and was banished by Izanaki. Susanoo became violent in the heaven. In the end, he killed the goddess of weaving, Amaterasu became angry and hid in the Iwato of heaven, and the world was plunged into darkness. The incident is resolved by Amenouzume's dance. Susanoo was banished from the heaven. ****************************** (2) Beginning of agriculture "Myth of the origin of corporeal incarnation-type crops," a myth that agriculture and crops were brought to man from gods. ◯ Susanoo killed Ohogetsuhime, goddess of food. From her dead head, a silkworm came out, then rice from her eyes, millet from her ears, azuki beans from her nose, wheat from her vulva, and soybeans from her buttocks came out. ◯ In the Nihon-shoki (Chronicles of Japan), Tsukuyomi similarly killed Ukemochi, the earthly god of food. ◯ Amaterasu was angry, and henceforth the sun and moon were separated. ◯ From Ukemochi's head came oxen and horses, from his forehead millet, from his eyebrows silkworms, from his eyes milia, from his belly rice, and wheat, soybeans, and azuki beans from his genital area. ◯ Izanami's death => From her vomit, male and female metal gods; from her stool, male and female clay gods; from her urine, water goddess, from her head, silkworms and mulberry trees to feed them, from her navel, five grains (rice, wheat, millet, broom-corn millet and beans) came out. ◯The story of excrement and secretions being useful to humans is common to stories about Izanami and Yamamba (The story of Uruhimeko). ◯ Burnt corpse of Yamamba => valuable things such as medicines and gold coins remained. ◯ Red liquid from Yamamba's corpse => buckwheat and carrots were produced. ◯ Yamamba => One theory says she was originally a goddess. ******************* 4. Comparison with Western Europe (1) Characteristics of Western perspectives Concerning agriculture ◯ The way people think is Hellenism (Greek philosophy) and Hebraism (Bible) ◯ Greek mythology ⇒ Zeus got angry and men were doomed to cultivate the land and grow crops. ◯ Bible ⇒ Adam who ate from the tree of wisdom " 'Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life" says God. ⭐︎The idea that agriculture is a punishment imposed by God on human beings. About the King of gods ◯ The greatest of all is the male god. In order to gain the position, he slaughtered his opponents in fierce battles. ◯ When humans did not listen to him, he got angry and punished them by killing them. Cruel personality. On human independence ◯ Independence is to be a responsible adult => The love of mother must be cut off from the child's side => Jung's "Mother Killer". ◯ Freud's Oedipus Complex ⇒ Strong desire to kill father and incest with mother in infancy. He has a fear that his father (superego), who is angry with him, will castrate him. About confrontation People with "superego" => There are standards for what is good and evil. Those who do not conform to the norm are regarded as evil, and eliminated or exterminated => Confrontation continues in the world. ***************************** 2) Characteristics of Japan About Agriculture ◯ Amaterasu brought back rice and silkworms to heaven from the corpse of Ukemochi. Agriculture is a noble ritual in which gods take the initiative over humans. ◯ Agriculture is work that relies on the power of gods. Gods were welcomed at the beginning of spring, invited into the house at the autumn harvest, being thanked, and sent them home. ◯ In Japan, work is considered sacred as something given by gods, and devotion to work tends to be a way of life. About the King of gods ◯ The goddess Amaterasu is the king of gods, unparalleled anywhere in the world. Immediately after her birth, she was commanded by her father to rule gods of heaven. She peacefully assumed the position of queen of the heaven. No other mythology has this story of woman attaining the position of king. ◯ Amaterasu is merciful. However, she does not tolerate murder and therefore was furious at the murders of Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. Concerning the growth of human beings ◯ Amaterasu was a virgin goddess, but she was the parent of five male children and doted on her firstborn, Oshihomimi. ◯ Amaterasu's motherly goddess status was an unconscious desire of Japanese people, and their longing for a mother was materialized. ⇒The Oedipus Complex cannot explain the Japanese way of thinking. About Confrontation ◯ Opponents do not completely eliminate nor erase the other. Decisions are made based on the result of consensus of all members. ◯ Japanese people bases its decision on the logic and ethics of "place" as opposed to the Western approach of "individual" logic and ethics. *********************** 5. Past and Present of Women in Japan (1) Female Emperors in ancient times ◯ Akiko Yoshie, a researcher on the ancient emperor system ⇒In ancient times, when there were many female emperors, the names of their parents were written down, and the names of siblings of the same mother were listed in the order of birth, regardless of whether the child was male or female. ◯ Background ⇒ kids live with their mothers and there was no basic difference in the social status of boys and girls, ◯ End of the 7th century - beginning of the 8th century; the Japanese nation under the ritsuryō codes⇒The patrilineal principle was officially introduced, and the history of ancient empresses ended in the latter half of the 8th century. Japan gradually became a patrilineal society. ********************* (2) Treatment of adulterous wives in the Middle Ages ◯ In Western Europe, adulterous wives were killed, but in Japan, their lovers were killed. ◯ Samurai society since the Heian period ⇒ On-site killing of a lover who had an affair with his wife was accepted. If it was not on the spot, the husband was subjected to punishment. ◯ Compensation for the damage caused by adultery was directed to the lover, and the killing was a form of compensation. ⭐︎Murder of the adulterous wife was not necessarily carried out. ◯ 13th century Kamakura-era Goseibai Shikimoku ⇒ Adulterous samurai lost half of their territory and were dismissed from their duties. ◯ Muromachi Shogunate in the 15th century ⇒ "It was accepted for a husband to kill his wife and her lover. The reason for this was to stop the family of the killed lover to take vengeance. ◯ The reasoning for this was to make the lover's relatives to give up the revenge against the husband who killed the lover, by killing his adulterous wife who was accomplice to the act⇒ "Aisatsu no gi" (principle of offsetting) ************************ (3) Marriage and divorce in the Edo period ◯ Daughters of samurai tended to marry into families of slightly lower rank. ◯ In the event of divorce, the husband was required to return the wife's dowry. If the husband could not repay the dowry, he would be forced to live in a precarious day to day life. ◯ The wife's clothing and furniture were her own property. Pawning them without the wife's consent could be a reason for divorce. ◯ At the time of divorce, the wife's father pressured to return the full amount of the dowry, and in some case, husband borrowed money from the bank to return the dowry. ◯ In those days, marriage and divorce were considered as an economic act ⇒ Samurai, whose families were struggling to make ends meet, endured the unhappy marriage if the wife's dowry was large. ◯ Wives had an advantage over their husbands because of their family's higher status than that of their husbands. The Onna Daigaku "The Great Learning for Women" were stated principles. ◯ Divorce note (three and a half lines) => documents required for the wife when remarrying => remarriage license, permission for remarriage. ◯ Bakufu law => If a man divorces his current wife for another woman, he would be sanctioned as "unfaithful divorce".⇒Remarriage with a woman was not allowed ⇒ "unfaithful separation" was not permitted as a socially accepted practice. ◯ In those days, it was said that "the older the wife and the potter, the better" or "fall in love with your wife and your house will prosper". ******************************** (4) Retaliation against adulterous wives (megataki uchi) and its compromise ◯ The "official ordinance" of megataki uchi was established in the mid-18th century in the middle of the Edo period.⇒The husband who killed his adulterous wife and her lover was acquitted. ◯ Originally, retaliation against adulterous wives meant to kill their lovers. Later on, megataki uchi meant to call the act of a husband who sought out and killed both his wife and her lover. The husband must notify the magistrate in advance before killing them. ◯ However, in reality, though an act of adultery was discovered, the husband usually did not kill the wife but rather they compromised. ◯ Retaliation against adulterous wives costed a lot ⇒ In some cases, husbands had to borrow money from their employer in installments. ◯ Money paid by compromise: Osaka "five ryo for patience" (about 400,000 yen), Edo "seven ryo and two quarters from a lover” (about 600,000 yen) ◯ Adulterous wives ⇒ Not necessarily killed by their husbands nor committed suicide; there were also cases where they were not separated. ◯ Based on these historical records, was the status of women more protected than imagined? ⭐︎ The status of women in Japan declined greatly when Western Christian culture entered Japan during the Meiji Era. *********************** (5) Femicide in modern Japan ◯ 2004 "Le Monde" article ⇒Domestic violence is the leading cause of death among European women aged 16-44 ◯ Big demonstration against "femicide" in France in 2019 ◯ What about "femicide" in modern Japan? Ratio of victims of homicide between spouses (including common-law marriage) by sex (Number of arrests, for the past 10 years, Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office). The following table shows the change over the past 11 years. (Survey conducted on July 26, 2023) ◯ What is surprising is not the number of femicide. The number of male deaths in relation to the number of female deaths sometimes exceeds 80%, The number of male deaths in relation to the number of female deaths sometimes exceeds 80% ⇒ Women scratching their men’s heads in their sleep?