I wish I could physically to to the National Museum of Japanese Architecture to see the exhibit on Gender in Japanese History. The write up shows the interesting role that gender politics place in the private and public dwellings in Japan. The website states: "By focusing on the space for state affairs and politics, this exhibition first examines the emergence of gender divisions. Classical Japanese society developed along with the formation of the ritsuryō state, by dividing its constituents into “male” and “female” and thereby assigning them to prescribed gender roles. In the medieval and early modern periods, individual households (ie) came to function as political space. Then, with the establishment of the modern nation state, women were completely excluded from government affairs. Now, we live in contemporary Japanese society that emerged after all those changes." https://www.rekihaku.ac.jp/english/exhibitions/project/index.html
I enjoy learning about gender roles in society and have been struck by the importance of private and public space in Japanese dwellings. This exhibit investigates the transitions in gender roles in Japanese history and questions the special spaces that have been carved out in living spaces.
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