The images of women in Japanese history have changed throughout the centuries, at time reflecting the power and beauty of the feminine and respecting its wisdom, while at other times fearing the feminine and denying this power. This paper examines these images through time and considers the search for Mother as a powerful unifying force in Japanese thought. These images of mother in Japan change over time but also involve a number of common elements which are carried from one age to the next. These issues are expressed in fiction, in family structure, in religious thought, and from the fact that the image of spiritual strength in Japanese mothers derives not only from the history of their position as one valued as a mother but from the fact that women were deities in Japanese history, representing in a real way the origin and force of life.
According to Shinto mythology, in days of old women were both political and religious leaders who governed with supernatural powers. These goddesses ruled with shamanistic skill and remained in power until they were challenged by the rise of the warrior culture of men (Yusa 93).
Japan is the country of the rising sun. This sun was personified by the goddess Amaterasu, the supreme deity of the Shinto. The Grand Shrine of Ise, the shrine to the sun, honors her and shows her high position in the Shinto way of life (Yusa 93).
The Shinto religion is more a way of life, a part of culture, than a religion of creeds. It centers on respect and worship of ancestors, a good world of peace, an attainable ritual purity, and an emphasis on the here and now (Yusa 94).
Women lost their position of power and respect when religion and politics became divided in the mid-seventh century. At this time their political powers were given to their fathers and women's spiritual work went underground (Yusa 96).
The Samurai thought even less of women, and during the Tokugawa period women were consi...