Man and youth
Tryst between a man and a male youth.
Miyagawa Isshô, ca. 1750; Panel from a series of ten on a shunga-style painted hand scroll (kakemono-e); sumi, color and gofun on silk. Private collection.

Shudo (衆道) is the Japanese tradition of age-structured homosexuality prevalent in samurai society from the medieval period until the end of the 19th century. The word is an abbreviation of wakashudo, "the Way of the young" or more precisely, the Way of young (waka) men (shu). The "do" is related to the Chinese word tao, considered to be a path to awakening. This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or more. ... This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or more. ... Miyagawa Isshō was a Japanese painter of kakemono-e (picture scrolls) in the ukiyo-e style of popular, colourful art based on everyday life. ... For other uses of the term Shunga see Shunga (disambiguation) Shunga ((春画) is a Japanese term for erotic pictures. ... Since its inception, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Taijitu For the people, see Tao people. ...

Origins

Though the term shudo first apears in 1485 it is preceded in the Japanese homosexual tradition by the love relationships between Buddhist bonzes and their acolytes, who were known as chigo. The legendary founder of male love in Japan is Kukai, also known as Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism, who is said to have brought over from China, together with the teachings of the Buddha, the teachings of male love. Mount Koya, where Kobo Daishi's monastery is still located, was a byword for male love up to the end of the pre-modern period. // Events August 5-7 - First outbreak of sweating sickness in England begins August 22 - Battle of Bosworth Field is fought between the armies of King Richard III of England and rival claimant to the throne of England Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. ... Painting of Kukai (774-835). ... Kūkai (空海) or Kōbō-Daishi (弘法大師) , 774—835 CE: Japanese monk, scholar, and artist, founder of the Shingon or “True Word” school of Buddhism. ... Shingon (真言宗) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and the most important school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. ... // Introduction A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found from Sarnath, near Varanasi Buddhism, a religion and philosophy from ancient India, is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, of the Shakyas. ... A stone image of the Buddha. ... Konpon Daito, the central point of Mt. ...

Despite the attribution of male love to Kukai, the actual roots of male love in Japan can be traced to some of the earliest Japanese texts, such as the 8th century history "Kojiki" and the "Nihon Shoki."

Cultural aspects

The teachings of shudo, "The Way of the Young," entered the literary tradition and can be found in such as works as Hagakure, "Hidden by Leaves," and other samurai manuals. Shudo, in its pedagogic, martial, and aristocratic aspects, is closely analogous to the ancient Greek tradition of pederasty. Hagakure, or Hagakure Kikigaki (葉隠-In the Shadow of Leaves) is a practical and spiritual guide for a warrior, drawn from a collection of commentaries by the former samurai, Yamamoto Tsunetomo, retainer to Nabeshima Mitsushige, the third ruler of what is now the Saga prefecture in Japan. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Pederasty as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. ...

The practice was held in high esteem, and was encouraged, especially within the samurai class. It was considered beneficial for the youth, teaching him virtue, honesty and the appreciation of beauty. Its value was contrasted with the love of women, which was blamed for feminizing men.

Much of the historical and fictional literature of the period praised the beauty and valor of boys faithful to shudo. The modern historian Jun'ichi Iwata drew up a list of 457 such titles from the 17th and 18th centuries alone, considered a "corpus of erotic pedagogy." (Watanabe & Iwata, 1989)

With the rise in power and influence of the merchant class, aspects of the practice of shudo were adopted by the middle classes, and homoerotic expression in Japan began to be more closely associated with travelling kabuki actors known as tobiko, "fly boys," who moonlighted as prostitutes. The Kabukiza in Ginza is one of Tokyos leading kabuki theaters. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ...

In the Edo period (1600-1868) kabuki actors (known as onnagata when playing female roles) often worked as prostitutes off-stage. Kagema were male prostitutes who worked at specialist brothels called "kagemajaya" (kagema tea houses). Both kagema and kabuki actors were much sought after by the sophisticates of the day, who often practiced danshoku/nanshoku, or male love. This is the current Japanese collaboration of the week! Please help improve it to featured article standard. ...

Beginning with the Meiji restoration and the rise of Western influence, Christian values began to infiltrate the culture, leading to a rapid decline of sanctioned homoerotic practices in the late 1800s. The Meiji Restoration (Japanese: 明治維新, Meiji-ishin), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to a change in Japans political and social structure. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ...

See also

• Shonen-ai
• Historical pederastic relationships
• Pederasty
• Homosexuality in Japan

Shōnen-ai (少年愛 from 少年 shōnen young man + 愛 ai love) refers to anime or manga that deals with love between young men, especially of the bishonen variety. ... Whitman & Duckett Over the course of history there have been a number of recorded love-based mentoring relationships between older men and adolescent boys. ... Pederasty as idealized by the ancient Greeks, was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside of his immediate family. ... Homosexuality, or same-gender romantic love or sexual desire, has been recorded from ancient times in Japan; indeed, at some times in Japanese history love between men was viewed as the purest form of love. ...

References

• Tsuneo Watanabe and Jun'ichi Iwata, The Love of the Samurai: A Thousand Years of Japanese Homosexuality GMP, London, 1989 ISBN 0854491155

External links

• The Beautiful Way of the Samurai