Japanese Women in Crafts: Modern Period Challenges

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary focus of the last part of this module?

The predicament of Japanese women in the field of crafts in the modern period

Why did Japan historically have fewer female artists compared to Western Europe?

Because of the pervasive influence of patriarchal power in Japanese society

What was the system of 'ie' or family foundation based on?

Patriarchal system, where authority was inherited from father to son

How did Shintoism view women?

As polluted Signup and view all the answers

What was the consequence of the patriarchal system on women's roles in Japan?

Women were relegated to the domestic realm Signup and view all the answers

What was the position of women in the craft workshop in Japan's history?

They were relegated to menial tasks or remained unnamed Signup and view all the answers

What is the time period depicted in the movie Ugetsu Monogatari?

The Muromachi period Signup and view all the answers

What is the occupation of the couple in the movie Ugetsu Monogatari?

Pottery makers Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the tea school that Fujiko Kobori inherited as the 17th generation?

Kobori Enshu Tea School Signup and view all the answers

According to art historian Midori Yoshimoto, what was still present in the Japanese art world in the 1960s and 1970s?

Patriarchal values Signup and view all the answers

How many women were nominated as Living National Treasures by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in 2019?

8 Signup and view all the answers

What type of ceramic art objects allowed for the diversification of the field and opened up space for women artists?

Non-functional ceramic objects Signup and view all the answers

What was the name of the first circle of Japanese women ceramic artists founded in 1957?

Joryu Togei Signup and view all the answers

Who was the founder of the Joryu Togei Association?

Asuka Tsuboi Signup and view all the answers

Who was Asuka Tsuboi's mentor?

Kenkichi Tomimoto Signup and view all the answers

What type of tasks were women limited to in the 1950s according to Asuka Tsuboi?

Glazing Signup and view all the answers

What was the goal of the Joryu Togei Association?

To create a space for women artists Signup and view all the answers

What type of ceramic forms were mostly created by members of the Joryu Togei Association?

Abstract and sculptural forms Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the tasks that women may have performed in pottery production during the period mentioned?

Kneading the clay and turning the potter's wheel Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the style of painting depicted in the illustration?

Onna-e Signup and view all the answers

During which period did women enjoy an unusual degree of autonomy in Japan?

Heian period Signup and view all the answers

Who was a famous poet, potter, and calligrapher mentioned in the passage?

Ōtagaki Rengetsu Signup and view all the answers

What was the ideal promoted by the Japanese government in the early 20th century?

Ryōsai kenbo Signup and view all the answers

What was a result of the Meiji Restoration of 1868?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

When did women gain the right to vote in Japan?

After World War II Signup and view all the answers

What was a popular pursuit for women from the 1950s onwards?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Who was the first and only woman to inherit the title of iemoto in the Sogetsu school of ikebana?

Kasumi Teshigahara Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of tea ceremony practitioners are women today?

90% Signup and view all the answers

What was the name of the daughter of famous ukiyo-e designer Katsushika Hokusai?

Katsushika Ōi Signup and view all the answers

What sparked Suzuki's decision to immigrate to Brazil?

Watching a show about Brazil Signup and view all the answers

What type of house did Suzuki and her husband rent in Brazil?

A pau-a-pique house made of clay and straw Signup and view all the answers

What natural materials did Suzuki explore in Brazil?

Local clays and minerals Signup and view all the answers

What type of kiln did Suzuki build in Brazil?

A three-chamber noborigama kiln Signup and view all the answers

How long does it take to fire ceramics in Suzuki's kiln?

20 to 30 hours Signup and view all the answers

Why did Suzuki's friend give her the noborigama kiln design?

Because she was going to the 'end of the world' Signup and view all the answers

Where did Suzuki hold her kiln opening ceremony?

In her backyard in the outskirts of São Paulo Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of Suzuki's kiln opening ceremony?

It was a huge success, with around 800 attendees Signup and view all the answers

Who built a noborigama kiln following Suzuki's design?

Ivone Shirahata, Suzuki's apprentice Signup and view all the answers

How many noborigama kilns of its kind existed after Suzuki built hers?

Three, including Suzuki's Signup and view all the answers

What is the main inspiration behind Suzuki's Cosmos series?

The work of Japanese writer and poet Kenji Miyazawa Signup and view all the answers

What technique does Suzuki use to create surface decorations on her sculptures?

Making repetitive incisions with a bamboo calligraphy brush Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the marks on the clay in Suzuki's work titled 'Campo'?

They are made by the potter's hand on the wheel Signup and view all the answers

What is the title of Suzuki's plate-like object featuring a net-like impression?

New World Signup and view all the answers

Why did Suzuki want to be in the middle, according to her conversation?

To absorb knowledge alone Signup and view all the answers

What was Suzuki's reaction when her old potter friend said she was no longer 'Japanese'?

She was happy Signup and view all the answers

What type of kiln does Suzuki use to fire her glazes?

Noborigama wood-fired climbing kiln Signup and view all the answers

What is the color achieved by using cobalt oxide in Suzuki's glazes?

Blue Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason why many women in Japan abandon their careers in ceramics after receiving major prizes or graduating from university?

Marriage and childbirth Signup and view all the answers

What motivated Shoko Suzuki to become interested in ceramics?

She saw a piece of pottery among the ruins of her family's home after the US bombings Signup and view all the answers

Who did Shoko Suzuki finally find as an apprentice after being rejected by several masters?

Toko Karasugi Signup and view all the answers

What was the name of the annual exhibition where Shoko Suzuki participated as one of the few women?

Tokokai Pottery Association Signup and view all the answers

Why did Shoko Suzuki and her colleagues erase the female suffix of their names?

To avoid being discriminated against Signup and view all the answers

What event inspired Shoko Suzuki to consider migrating to Brazil?

A TV show about Brazil Signup and view all the answers

What was Shoko Suzuki's occupation before becoming a potter?

Factory worker Signup and view all the answers

Where did Shoko Suzuki establish her own pottery studio in 1957?

Suburban Tokyo Signup and view all the answers

What was the name of the neighborhood in São Paulo featured in the TV show that inspired Shoko Suzuki?

Liberdade Signup and view all the answers

What was Shoko Suzuki's husband's occupation?

Painter Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Women in Japanese Craftsmanship

Historically, Japan had fewer female artists than Western Europe due to the patriarchal system and social expectations.
Women's roles were limited to menial tasks or remained unnamed, and their achievements were often unrecognized.

Women in Japanese Art

During the Heian period, aristocratic women enjoyed autonomy and played active roles in elite culture, producing literature and art.
Women also served as professional painters at court and created images in the onna-e (women's paintings) style.
They played important roles in politics, holding positions of power, including being empresses.

The Edo Period

Despite their lower status, some women still managed to stand out as artists.
Noble women of the high-ranking samurai class received training in calligraphy, poetry, and painting, referred to as the "three perfections."
Notable women from this period include Ōtagaki Rengetsu, Ema Saikō, and Katsushika Ōi.

The Meiji Restoration

With the abolition of the feudal system, new avenues for women's expression and education emerged.
The ideal of ryōsai kenbo—"good wife, wise mother"—promoted women's roles primarily as homemakers and child bearers.

Post-WWII

The feminist movement in Japan aimed to bring women into the public sphere, and women acquired the right to vote and enter public university education.
Women began to enter art universities, and traditional arts like the tea ceremony and ikebana became popular pursuits for women.

Shoko Suzuki

Born in 1929, Suzuki was a Japanese woman potter who migrated to Brazil to escape the constraints of her gender in the field of crafts in Japan.
She was the first woman to be accepted as an apprentice by a Tokyo-based potter, Toko Karasugi, and began her career as an independent artist.
She established her own pottery studio in suburban Tokyo and participated in the Totokai Pottery Association's annual exhibition, where she was the only woman among 60 members.
In 1961, she migrated to Brazil with her husband, where she built a Japanese-style climbing kiln and began experimenting with local clays and glazes.
Suzuki's work was featured in a solo exhibition at the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art, and she participated in an exhibition featuring contemporary Japanese Brazilian artists across various museums.

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