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International Journal of Development in Social Sciences and Humanities

(By Aryavart International University, India)

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E-ISSN:2455-5142 | P-ISSN:2455-7730
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Paper Details

The Neglected Heian Woman: From the outlook of Kagerō Nikki

Vol. 10, Jul-Dec 2020 | Page: 30-46

Lavanya Verma
CENTRE FOR JAPANESE STUDIES SCHOOL OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND CULTURE STUDIES JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY NEW DELHI-110067

Received: 15-08-2020, Accepted: 21-09-2020, Published Online: 28-09-2020


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Abstract

The Heian Society is mainly noted for being the Golden Age in the Japanese history for its native cultural achievements in the Imperial court, Kana literature and well-designed city plan. The literature in Heian period written by the women revealed their secluded lives while throwing light at the manipulated society which was in favor of men. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the sidelined woman of the society and the author’s psychological perspective through textual analysis of the Poetic literature work- Kagerō Nikki. It throws light at social practices which were often followed in the middle-class society with the help of arguments which are further proved. The introduction focuses on the background of the period and the initiative of diary usage from Asuka Period onwards. It also focuses on the usage of Kana and introduction to diaries written by women while emphasizing on the significance of women diary literature. Secondly, the literary work is studied from the socio-economic and political viewpoint to examine the hypothetical position of the author- Michitsuna no Haha. Apart from her diary, very little information is available in other work regarding her existence. This work gives a detailed description of Michitsuna no Haha’s married life and her position as a secondary wife in the society. Therefore, this diary is analyzed to find the traces of gender discrimination and the estimation of social conditions of noblewomen in Heian aristocratic society. The findings indicate that Michitsuna no Haha lead a disparaged life with psychological difficulties, being the victim of polygamous society. The author resisted the discriminatory social practices in her own way and moved to the outskirts of the city and broke off her marriage with her husband Fujiwara no Kaneie, who was busy with his consorts, finding her true self in Pilgrimages

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