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While male-female coitus was seen as inherently defiling, obliging those (and in particular males) who had engaged in it to undergo purification before entering in the presence of the gods, Shinto authorities did not so characterize male-male sexual practices, showing far less preoccupation with the theological implications of such behavior than their European counterparts. Only, there was the nagging concept of sexual "pollution" (not entirely analogous to the Christian idea of "sin"), which Pflugfelder, author of Cartographies of desire: male–male sexuality in Japanese discourse, describes below: So, as you might have guessed, Shintoism was quite sex-positive in general. Much like the ancient Judeo-Christian religions in the West, Shintoism provided the basis for the belief system in Japan, even as the religion evolved and was influenced by other groups and societies. I'm simply trying to give you context for what's to come. I'm not saying that one religion is better than the other, or that either is "right" or "wrong". In the Shinto creation story, sex precedes the birth of a nation and her people. It's not surprising, I suppose, that nearly every mention of the word "sex" in the Christian bible is accompanied by ideas of punishment or shame. In Judeo-Christian religions, the acknowledgement of human sexuality and their banishment went hand in hand. Izanami-no-Mikoto replied, saying: "That will be good." Therefore, I would like to take that place in my body which is formed to excess and insert it into that place in your body which is formed insufficiently, and thus give birth to the land. Then Izanagi-no-Mikoto said: "My body, formed though it be formed, has one place which is formed to excess. She replied, saying: "My body, formed though it be formed, has one place which is formed insufficiently." The basic question we're faced with is: does Shintoism view sex as inherently good or inherently evil? Part of the answer lies in the Kojiki-here's an excerpt in which the deities Izanagi and Izanami create the islands of Japan by, well, totally doing it.Īt this time Izanagi-no-Mikoto asked his spouse Izanami-no-Mikoto, saying: "How is your body formed?" Let's step back a moment, however, and think about what the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki say about sex.
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There is no overt approval of homosexual behavior, but there is no condemnation, either. Nothing in the Kojiki or Nihon Shoki mention anything about homosexuality, unless you count the fact that the first three generations of deities described in the Nihon Shoki are all male (one Tokugawa-era author joked that the conception and birthing of these generations must have been logistically difficult). In addition to this, the Nihon Shoki records some of Japan's early history. Its first known texts, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicle of Japan), were completed in 712 AD and 720 AD, respectively. Japan's first main religion, Shintoism, is said to have been established as far back as 1,000 BC. Let's go back to the very beginning, right at the moment when Japan was created by the gods. To understand that, we must traverse the annals of history. How in the world did Japan go from celebrating homosexual lifestyles to being in denial about LGBT issues even existing? In fact, it appeared to be the rule, rather than the exception, for a majority of Japan's pre-modern history. Japan's pre-modern society was one that not only tolerated homosexuality and bisexuality, but celebrated and even idealized it. I thought it would be easy.Īs is often the case, it turns out I was completely wrong. I would point to the Japanese version of Judeo-Christian anti-homosexuality beliefs and call it a day. My hypothesis was that I would find my answers in Japan's ancient and medieval past, assuming that Japan would be like the West in this regard. I wanted to understand the overwhelming societal pressure placed upon people who are LGBT to, well, not be. The Last Samurai starring Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise. I came upon this information while researching an article (still to come) about the current state of the LGBT community in Japan. Much like that time we found out that bushido is actually modern-day made-up bullshit, this might surprise you. Remember the popular scene in The Last Samurai where Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise make sweet, tender love? You don’t? Well, perhaps if the story had been more rooted in reality we could have seen that happen.Īs it turns out, pre-modern Japan was exceptionally accepting, even encouraging, of male homosexuality and bisexuality.