Tokugawa Shogunate Women

The role of women under the Tokugawa Shogunate and that under Ming China were both inferior to that of men, due to Confucianism. Women were highly discriminated without much rights and were considered submissive to men. The phenomenon were largely caused by the traditional Chinese philosophy influencing both Ming China and Tokugawa Shogunate. However, depite the similar inferiority, the women’s conditions were slightly different.
To begin with, women in both societies were titled as “good wife and mother,” who were almost forbidden all of public affairs. They were excluded from literacy, politics, and business, which were all men’s affairs. Women were not allowed to contact with other men to show filial piety. The responsibilities of women

was to educate their children, do the chores, take care of the old in the family, observe her husband. For example, women in Tokugawa Shogunate were considered as “semi-slaves” to their husband. In Ming China, even in aristocratic family, girls were forbidden to go out. Moreover in Ming China, the women’s status was always inferior that of men’s. Plus, one man, if rich, could have marry several wifes, each of whom should observe him. That’s the reason why there were over three thousands wives of the emperor in the royal court in Ming China. Besides their dependence on men and their families, women in both China and Japan were precluded from higher education. In Japan, women were only permitted to learn how to write hiragana to do basic work for the families, such as purchasing food. In China, things seems to be worse. In Ming, even literate men were minority, let alone the literate women. Women were restricted from the imperial examination, an opportunity to enter politics. Women were not allowed to read in order not to distract themselves from serving their husbands.
The tragedies in Tokugawa Shogunate and Ming China, to a large extent, result from the widespread Confucianism. The shogun rulers during the Tokugawa era invited Chinese philosophy of Confucianism to Japan during the 1600 to 1867. The philosophy provided by the rule was called Neo-Confucianism, an ideology more suitable for feudal society and control the public. The pathfinder of Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi, introduced a series of social orders and customs, including the restricion on women to focus the loyalty to husband and filial piety. Tokugawa shoguns even elevated the Neo-Confucianism to support their political ambitions. As the result, the encroachment of women’s rights ensued, with the Tokugawa law exploiting the political and economic rights of female. In China, the Confucianism was an inveterate philosophical tool to stabilize the society from Han Dynasty. The Neo-Confucianism spread across the world with much harsher political functions. Therefore, to leave people uneducated (to disable them from challenging the government), the government deepened the restrictions on women. Foot binding became severely prevalent. Concubine worked for their best to attract the male.
In conclusion, under the pressure of Confucianism, women in Tokugawa Shogunate and Ming China were both suffering severe restriction and discrimination of slightly different extent.