Interracial Intimacy in Japan: Western Men and Japanese Women, 1543-1900

by Gary P. Leupp

Much has been written about the relationships between European men and local women in Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the heyday of western imperialism. But scholars have given only minor attention to "interracial" relationships in a non-western country that avoided colonization, was regarded by Europeans as "white", and was able to generally maintain control over resident foreign male communities. Leupp analyzes the intimate relationships between western men and Japanese women, for the most part in Japan, throughout the entire early modern period, and into the first several decades of western residence in the Treaty Ports. He discusses marriage between Japanese Catholic converts and Iberian adventurers; EuropeanÆs participation in sexual slavery; the provision of courtesansÆ services to the Dutch on Deshima; and the "temporary marriages" in the Treaty Ports after 1859, noting continuities in Japanese officialsÆ attitudes and policies towards foreigner men and the Japanese women who came to associate with them.

Genres: Japan, History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 13, 2003

About the author

Gary Leupp is Professor of History at Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion.

Reviews

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looks like in Spain, the "purity of blood" cult had arisen in the fifteenth century already. And the author claimed that doubtlessly aware of their own complicated Teutonic-Mediterranean heritage, the Spanish men who subjugated the New World and the Philippines, while siring children everywhere in the lands they conquered, were loath to formally wed any but European Christians of untainted ancestry. The British attitudes where similar in regards to Americans, but towards the Japanese, however, differed appreciably in this period from their attitudes towards South or native Americans. In Japan, some Englishmen seem to have become so fond of the culture that they sought to fully assimilate into local society.
In Japan one finds few references to physical markers of barbarism (or outcaste status}; peoples outside the Three Realrns were described, not so much by their bodily features, as by their lack of culture. But from ancient times, one physical aspect of peoples considered non-Japanese drew special attention: hairiness.
Speaking of culture: I suspected that the values of the samurai were not appplied to the peasants and the like as well, despite what some other books suggested (as this was often the same in other parts of the world where elites acted by different rules), including the belief that peasants were prone to wantoness and so their women free to have anyway.
Interesting to read: kabuki actors could still be female in 1613/14, so apparently there must be have been changes later when there seem to have been no women among the actors. However, they were already prostitutes like the boys later on (the female role players). However, while this author had talked of "women" and "girls" as prostitutes on the other hand he only speaks of "male prostitutes" and "Japanese males." That was odd.
Furthermore, according to this book, when Blumenbach stated that the other races had "degenerated" from the original white race he meant that in a more general development line and not badly. It didn't have the pejorative meaning it has today. Also, fascinating how at first the perception was that Japanese women were more free than their counterparts in e.g. Spain.
And apparently even during the highly isolationist Tokugawa period there were contacts with Korea, China, Holland, and intermittent intercourse with Siam, Cambodia, and some other Southeast Asian states. Japan was simply as isolated as a major nation could be. And during the time, the claim of unbroken imperial decent from the goddess Amaterasu was claimed to be a sign of Japanese uniqueness and moral superiority. Which made me wonder how old this claim even is historically speaking.
And curious that children of Japanese mothers and foreign fathers were considered Japanese by the authorities when back then the father basically determined what the child was. I didn't expect that. What I did expect was that mixing with Japanese was not considered as revolting as between black and white; and japanese women were often still held in high regard. So pretty much what you saw before.
Sadly, this book was getting a bit tiresome to be honest at about halfway through and I think lots could have been cut.
To get back to the topic at hand: Sounds a lot as if the European and American notions of Japanese lewdness was based on local Japanese catering to them with prostitutes as a matter of fact. It didn't happen everywhere but apparently often enough. And over time it was the same old same old, European people were still too impressed by the Japanese that they had to say that they stand above other Asians etc. And naturally many were either praising Japanese women or were conflicted about them and cohabitating with Japanese.
Ironically, the kingdom of Hawai'i wanted a royal wedding with Japan and encourage Japanese immegration for racial mixing and heighten its own population. And the imperial family "politely" refused as such a marriage was inconceivable for them.
Sadly that was the last good part of this book, the rest was pretty much "been there and done that" and was primarily occupied with the USA later on. Europe no longer factors in it and even Japan was only a sideshow, the very last chapter was just the USA.
For the most part this book is recommendable but I really think that more stuff could have been cut from this book.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much about Americans as I would have hoped, but a good place to start. I'll have to scour the bibiligraphy.