| Research Abstract |
As part of a larger interdisciplinary and comprehensive historical research project on Japanese views toward life, the research team named above has been conducting interdisciplinary and comprehensive historical research on the subject of sexuality. For this purpose, the research team has added approximately five hundred related volumes to the library of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies.
Dr. Hayakawa Monta, the research representative for the final year of the project, took as the subject of his research visual material, especially Tokugawa Period shunga (erotic wood-block prints). His analysis of the texts and images applied new methodology to produce new findings on Tokugawa Period sexuality, especially nanshoku (male-male sexuality). Dr. Hayakawa's important publications have significantly advanced the present state of research into the field of early modern lifestyles and customs.
Dr. Suzuki Sadami, who served as research representative for the first two years o
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f the project, published numerous works related the subject of sexuality, especially on the historical changes in ideas about life and sexuality in the late Meiji and Taisho Periods. He wrote intellectual histories about the influx of the theory of evolution and the Taisho Period ideology of seimeishugi (vitalism) as well as works on the development of crucial ideas in literary thought, such as shizenshugi (naturalism). In addition, he wrote multiple articles about expressions of sexuality in the works of several crucial figures in literary history.
Dr. Inoue Shoichi broke entirely new ground with his innovative work. Proceeding from the history of popular customs, he wrote an important study of places that capitalize upon sexuality as a business.
Dr. Komatsu Kazuhiko has made important steps in his research on the transmission of incest.
Studies of sexuality and gender are currently at an all time high, yet in this climate, the research team proceeded in directions that were either understudied or completely untouched. Not all of these approaches necessarily fit into the narrowest definition of the title of the research project : "views of sexuality as seen from the vantage point of attitudes toward life." "Attitudes toward life" is a rather amorphous notion and so it is perhaps not surprising that the group employed various approaches. Nonetheless, the research group arrived at the conclusion that it would have been useful to have established a more precise understanding of "attitudes toward life" as well as to have determined the angles used in approaching their projects. Dr. Suzuki will work with his colleagues to clarify this notion in future projects. Less
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