Las mujeres de yoshiwara

Zusammenfassung

Japanese history and literature are filled with masculine archetypes that reflect the cultural and political evolution of this Asian country: the tradition embodied in the courageous samurai loyal to his master, the difficult process of breakdown that came upon writers and intellectuals from the Meiji period, or the uninspired life of the clerk consecrated to his job. In contrast to this variety of mas culine profiles, the transmitted feminine figure presents an apparent static and unchanging role: delicate geishas serving tea, smiling lolitas posing for a photo, mothers and wives dedicated to the upbringing and education of their children. The image of the woman seems to be circumscribed to the domestic and sensitivity space of Japanese history. However, if we voluntarily distance ourselves from these traditional images and delve into history, we can discover other female models: strong women who had to survive in a hostile social environment, and who played a central role in the cultural and political life of the time. Within the culture of harmony a nd perfection, were the called oiran : women who worked in the now -defunct pleasure district of Yoshiwara, in the old Edo. Her beauty and sensuality were used as instruments of power over nobles and lords for more than 300 years.