Womens Roles in Hiean Court of Medieval Japan - 506 Words

The Heian court of medieval Japan was a progressive and dynamic society where women commanded a fair amount of power and respect. In many ways it seemed to be the basis of the rank n file, material culture of today’s society. The social structure of society throughout the court was set up in three different ranks. In chapter two, Genji’s friend, To no Chujo explained the three roles and how they determined the role of women in court. Women of high rank would be the wife of a high ranking elite, thus responsible for raising the future heirs, women of lower rank were concubines and often had better relationships with the man than his wife. did It was this complicated ranking system that led to the abundance of accepted promiscuity, however the two roles kept a bit of stability and normalcy throughout the court. Social rank was a main factor in determining women’s role in court and from the first chapter of â€Å"The Tale of Genji† author Maruabu Shikabu stressed the importance of social role. Genji’s mother, often the brunt of slanderous abuse from the Emperors wife, withdrew from court and took Genji away from court to live with her family. Social importance was best explained though in chapter two by Genji’s friend, To-no-Chujo. Chujo defines the different ranks to Genji while discussing the women they have slept with. To suggests that the three different ranks among women were; â€Å"High rank, Middle Rank, and No Rank (Commoners). Genji’s mother was a lower (Middle) rank