Nanshoku in Pre-Meiji Japanese Society

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how modern Japanese society considers men who prefer sexual relations with other men to be abnormal, although in earlier times, they were the norm rather than the exception, and many men had sexual relations with people of both genders. It looks at how a term for this phenomenon of male-male love was "nanshoku" and discusses how nanshoku was rife among Buddhist monks and how literature of the Heian period contains passages suggesting that some aristocrats practiced nanshoku, as well. It also analyzes the roles in a typical nanshoku relationship and how the emphasis on roles discouraged an equal relationship between the two parties.

From the Paper:

"Because nanshoku was essentially an alternative to female sex for males, the roles in nanshoku were similar to that of heterosexual roles, and were integral in the relationship. The senior male, or nenja, was the dominant partner, while the junior male, or wakashu, was the passive partner. The roles in a certain relationship were set, with the wakashu always being passive, and the nenja being active. In a different relationship, a former wakashu might assume the role of a nenja, although the reverse rarely happened as it was against the normal progression in life. This structure reflects the Confucian model of a hierarchical society, as the partners were not equals."

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