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Dear Customers & Freinds;
Hello from Japan! This is Antique Ichiroya News Letter.No.96th.
Recently,to understand easily the life in Edo,I try to read(actually look might be the right word) magazines and books intead of
modern novels,but learning from antique books,I really amazed what are written in those books.
Old books are written by beautiful letters which are so difficult to read,but it has such a interesting contents,so
today,I would like to talk about books from Edo.
One of the book I enjoy so much is called Onna daigaku written by Kaibara Ekiken (1630-1714).Onna Daigaku (Womenfs Great Learning), although some may say his wife wrote it. The book was very popular during the Edo period and represented the views of women during this timecor so they say. It was an important book for the women of Samurai class, and was often given to her upon marriage.
In the text, the author lists seven actions by a wife that demand that she leaves her husbandfs home...and I added my opions below.
1. A woman who is disobedient to her parents-in-law shall leave.
It is so important to keep great relationships with Shutome(mother-in-law), and common to complain about mother-in-law or daughter-in-law no matter it is in Edo or now! and one has to leave anyway,,,,so living in modern life,we learned to live separately(if you are lucky).
2. A woman who bears no children shall leave, because it is for the succession of offspring that a girl is taken for a wife. If, however, the woman is right-minded and well-behaved, without jealousy, she may adopt a child, instead of leaving her husband, from a family of the same name (as her husbands). Nor need she leave in case when a concubine has a child.
It is so important to have baby BOYS not girls and some are forced to give a birth till family has a boy,what a torture,,,
3. A licentious woman shall leave.
Common sence...
4. A jealous woman shall leave.
Too much are not good no matter what...a little,maybe not enough are always right...
5. If the woman is infected with leprosy or some other bad disease, she shall leave.
Not having great medication back then,it was better to get rid of one instead of killing all,also costs too much,,,,too sad that she has to leave family behind and die alone....
6. If she is talkative and speaks indiscreetly, she shall leave, lest she should cause discord among the relative of her husband or disorder in his home.
It is funny that it is included on the list,must be many are talkative causing porblems.I don't think people get divorced because of this now!
7. If she is kleptomaniac, she shall leave.
Common sence,,,also should add murder,too!
Reading all,it seems like women have to obey men,but the way people live has been changed after decades and seems like couples can go along well if women control men!? maybe,even women in Edo were stronger than men and might just have pretended to make them feel good!?
I am still single,so it is still all mistery to me how 2 strangers can stay till death apart and how to deal with mother-in-law,,,I think I will find out one day!
It might be difficult to actually READ them,but you can still enjoy wonderful pictures,so if you are interested in,please take a look at one of the book we have on the site!
http://www.antiqueichiroya.com/item/list2/508610/
Tomorrow,we will list interesting antiques,and fabulous kimonos,so please browse our both sites!
Thank you for taking your valuable time to read my 96th newsletters and we will get back to you soon!
Have a wonderful day!
Hisami Sato
Japanese antique Ichiroya
http://www.antiqueichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.com
address: Asia-shoji Bldg.301
Wakamatsu cho
Tondabayashi city
Osaka 584-0025 JAPAN
TEL&FAX ****( international number ) - 81-721-23-544
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