A Short Story
Women play a submissive yet powerful role in Japanese society as intermediaries of class, wealth, and fortune. In the story “Bewitched”, Manago plays the polite lady in order to win men’s hearts and in her attempt to own Toyo-o, she says kind words such as: “I shall dry my clothes with the warmth of your kindness”. Toyo-o dreams of Manago greeting him at the door saying, “I cannot forget your kindness, and I love you”. I could imagine men failing to resist and abiding to temptations if a woman were to say those things. This goes to show that words are powerful and women during those times could use this method in obtaining and intermediating men of the upper-class that were wealthy and fortunate. Toyo-o’s father was a prosperous fisherman who hired workers to work for him. His daughter married a merchant. It was not told she was good with words, but she is an example of a woman who increased her social standing because she married a merchant. During those times merchants were the money makers because mercantilism was on the rise and prospering.
I reside in a lower-middle class, Chinese- oriented household and I can relate to the women who wanted to increase their social standing by marrying wealthy men. My mother would tell my sister on rare occasions “marry a doctor because he can support you”. It would seem as though she is trying to engrave it in her mind, but I believe marrying a doctor isn’t necessarily the only option out there when it comes to seeking support economically, financially, etc.
18th Century Edo Period Women
In reading Ueda Akinari’s “Bewitched”, I can’t help but notice women are placed second to men within an economical working Japanese society. Akinari mentions a samurai in the introduction, Toyo-o’s sister is married to a merchant, and towards the midway point of his story there were an aged woodcutter, rice thrasher, and an old blacksmith. This is relevant towards the four- tiered social system made up of samurais, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants of Japanese society during the Edo period. Manago, the antagonist is placed in a higher station in society because the home in which she lived in all seemed to be made of valuable classical vintage. The cultured woman resided in Kyoto and Manago was a part of that society. In response to Manago’s devious proposal, Toyo-o responded by saying “I have no property of my own. . . I have no power to earn my own living. How could I support you?” This relates back to the idea that women didn’t have power in the working force and relied on men to support them. It is made a social standard that women go out into the general public and try to marry a wealthy merchant. It is also a social standard to hire a private palanquin to carry a woman when traveling from place to place. Manago later on possesses the official’s daughter who was then serving as a lady-in-waiting at the imperial palace in Kyoto. It feels as though all the beautiful and upper-class women are placed in Kyoto during those times- “As she was accustomed to the refined manners of court life, there was a glamorous quality in her appearance and behavior; she looked quite beautiful among provincial girls”.
It could be implied that Akinari uses Manago as a symbol of manipulation and a deceiver. Looks can be deceiving and the beautiful women and refined women in his story goes to show that. Manago is caught red-handed by another man she once bewitched and deceived and thus she is a prime example/representation for deceitful actions; her way of speech manipulates the men to join her side and love her. She would say things like “I enjoyed the blessings of your hospitality and friendship. I felt certain that you were a sincere man, and that I should devote the rest of my life to you.” In her defense for stealing the precious offerings from the shrine she says to Toyo-o, “Please think all this over carefully, trusting the sincerity of my love for you.” She would use “love” as an excuse and way to manipulate Toyo-o into thinking she really loves him.
It was considered a socially accepted standard for women in Japanese society during those times to be dependent upon being supported by men of the upper-class.
-Rickie Chiu
There is a striking similarity in the function of women between 18th century Japan and Europe. For one, they both seem to place marriage as a significant part of a woman’s place. Additionally, both seem to have a function of wealth where a woman marries into a man’s wealth. I was wondering, how dependent were Japanese women on wealth through marriage compared to Japan? Did superstition come into play? These questions revolve around the heavy elements of superstition in “Bewitched” which, in my interpretation, showed woman to be a negative influence through superstition.
Your second post further shows a similarity between both societies. It seems that Japanese women did not have a right to their property, much like European women. Furthermore, much like Japan, women were expected to be pure and innocent in European society. Despite the author’s negative view on women, I feel the story “Bewitched” served more as a cautionary tale for those who are wayward or perhaps too easy going. Demons were consistently shown to have been manipulative characters throughout literature in which “Bewitched” shows a demon as a women. Hence, the author uses the demon to warn wayward men about a lifestyle unbefitting of Japanese men. I am curious though if such cautionary tales existed for woman too.