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If you have ever wondered what was it like to be a Japanese citizen in Japan throughout the time periods (Yayoi to Meiji), it is without a doubt that you would think of terms such as erotic, disciplined, and respectful. The richness in the Japan’s social expectations cultivated a gender binary and a distinct social norms that exists between males and females. A Japanese woman in Japan was seen as inferior to the Japanese man in all aspects. Furthermore, the social and gender issues seen in Japanese culture can intersect in many ways.. A journey through time in Japan art’s history, takes a plunge into different perspectives and incorporations of techniques used to represent Japanese women that included: artifacts/statues, paintings, woodblock prints, photographs, and oil paintings. Most of the art in this gallery shows the way of life that is based on their gender and social class. You have farmers, who work long days just to feed their entire country, yet have no say in important government matters. After centuries of not being allowed to work, women are able to finally support their families, but only as entertainers for men. Geishas who at first were only seen as prostitutes and sex workers, were finally supported by the government and seen more as enterainers than sexworkers. You will see wealthy merchant wives taking leisure time instead of taking care of the home. As the audience, you will take a journey through Japan over the course of centuries, looking at different motifs such as the difference in the hierarchy in power between both women and and men, and also between different social classes of Japan. This will allow you to better understand the physical, mental, and social implications that existed in previous and current Japanese society. Without further ado, please enjoy our collection.

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