Womansword: What Japanese Words Say about Women [Paperback]

Kittredge Cherry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2002

Womansword is an insightful look at Japanese words concerning women and what they reveal about the status of women in modern Japan. In a collection of short, lively essays, author Kittredge Cherry considers the connotations, usage, and context of several hundred common words and phrases related to female identity, girlhood, marriage, mothering, working, sex, and aging. These Japanese words offer a new perspective on issues that are central to the lives of women everywhere.

We learn, for instance, that an "intruder wife" is one who snags a husband by cooking for him every night, cleaning up for him, and generally coddling him till he realizes he can't live without her (but who lets him do the actual proposing); that Barbie didn't sell well in Japan till she was transformed into a cuter, shorter, less glamorous, younger version; that families with no sons to carry on the family name sometimes "adopt" one by marrying their daughter to a man who agrees to take their name, join their household, and generally adapt to their ways; that "honorable bag" (ofukuro) is an affectionate term a son may use to refer informally to his mother; and that people do not usually greet close relatives - even after a long separation - with a hug, but with a bow.

Womansword is a thought-provoking book that paints a vivid picture of contemporary Japanese women, in all their layered and often contradictory roles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Packed with interesting linguistic, sociological and historical details." - The New York Times

"... both informative and fun to read." -Japan Christian Quarterly

"Regardless of whether or not you're studying Japanese, Womansword makes essential reading." -Kansai Time Out

From the Publisher

[Following are two consecutive sections from the book.]

Onna-rashisa: Femininity

One way to chart the meaning of femininity (onna-rashisa) in Japan is to listen to how the landscape itself is described. A "male hill" (otoko-zaka) is the steeper side of a hill, while the more gently sloping grade is termed the "female hill" (onna-zaka). This seldom-used phrase was resurrected by author Fumiko Enchi as the title for her novel about a wife who waits decades to get revenge for her husband's infidelity, though the English translation of Onna-zaka is titled simply The Waiting Years. Another way of using. nature to summarize the character of the sexes is the proverb "Men are pine trees, women are wisteria vines" (Otoko wa matsu, onna wa fuji), which means men are the strong base to which women cling.

The positive traits associated with women are bundled up and tied together in the word onna-rashisa. Dictionaries define it in terms of being kind, gentle, polite, submissive, and graceful. Sometimes "weak" is included, spurring feminist scholars to protest in the 1980s. Many people would also add cheerfulness to the list of what gives a woman onna-rashisa.

On the other hand, the Japanese have several insults based on the linking of women with certain character faults. "Rotten as a woman" is an insult hurled at Japanese men by accusers of both sexes. Onna no kusatta yo na is a standard reproach for guys whom Westerners might call wimps or sissies. These fellows may also be assaulted with a negative word built from two woman ideograms, memeshii (effeminate). Both men and women are offended when someone denounces them as "womanish" (joseiteki). The trait that often shakes loose this avalanche of abuse is mealy-mouthed indecisiveness. Sometimes the criticism is cloaked in poetic imagery. "A woman's heart and the autumn sky" (Onna-gokoro to aki no sora), croons a proverb. The connection is that fall weather in Japan shifts quickly, just as the moods of a woman's heart. The word onna-gokoro is usually used in the context of love, where such fickleness is generally unwelcome.

Otoko masari: Male-Surpassers

An otoko masari is a who excels over men in some way. She has more brains or muscles or just plain spirit. One of the most famous otoko masari is the late-tenth-century author Sei Shonagon, who blended diary, essay, and fiction into The Pillow Book, a Japanese literary classic. Positive though its definition sounds, otoko masari is not a type Japanese girls aspire to become. The word, literally meaning "male-surpasser," is a put-down. For example, there is much grumbling in the halls of Japan's coed colleges these days about otoko masari types who take their studies seriously and plan to compete against their male classmates on the job market as well. It implies not only extra ability, but also lack of femininity.

The female upstart is likely to begin life as an otenba, what an English speaker calls a tomboy. Otenba, literally "honorable twisting and turning granny," suggests health and energy People often use it to describe their own rambunctious offspring. A Japanese girl can get away with being a tomboy until about age twenty, but then tradition calls for her to settle down and avoid challenging the males around her.

If she doesn't, she is denounced as an otoko masari or another taunt drawn from the large body of Japanese words in which the sexes battle for superiority She is said to achieve "in spite of being a woman" (onna-datera ni or onna no kuse ni). She brings about "male loss of face" (otoko kaomake) because she is "more than a man" (otoko ijo). Men are the measure for most types of accomplishment, but in the realm of sewing, cooking, or child rearing, guys can cause "female loss of face" (onna kaomake) when their prowess makes them "more than a woman" (onna ijo). Women also are the standard for inferiority; one way to show contempt for a man is to call him "less than a woman" (onna ika). Females being inferior to males has been considered so unremarkable that no parallel expression exists. Likewise, there is only one way to say "in spite of being a man" (otoko no kuse ni) and no such thing as a "female-surpasser."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA (August 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770028881
• ISBN-13: 978-4770028884
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,192,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a lesbian Christian author who was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches and served as clergy in the LGBT community for seven years.

One of my main duties was promoting dialogue on sexuality at the National Council of Churches (USA) and the World Council of Churches. My other books include EQUAL RITES: Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies, and Celebrations, HIDE AND SPEAK: A Coming Out Guide and WOMANSWORD. I offer spiritual resources through JesusInLove.org., the first website devoted to the queer Christ.

I have degrees in journalism and art history, and a master of divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion. The New York Times Book Review praised my 'very graceful, erudite' writing style.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wholesome and interesting little book, December 27, 1997

By 

Peter Payne "Peter in Japan" (Isesaki, Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women (Paperback)

I have to admit, I really detest books along the lines of Making Out in Japanese, which purport to teach you Japanese love-slang, for the simple reason that they are insulting to any reasonable person's intelligence. Womansword, by Kittredge Cherry, is much better. An exhaustive yet approachable "pop study" of Japanese vernacular, this thin, smart book goes beyond basic sexual words, and instead takes on words and idioms that exist (or once existed) in Japanese, which tell about the relationship of women in Japanese society. Useful for a serious student as well as for someone looking for some interesting phrases to spring on cute Japanese exchange students.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soap ladies, nice middies and home girls, May 26, 2005

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Womansword: What Japanese Words Say about Women (Paperback)

Language and culture are inextricably tied, and attempting to learn one without the other is foolhardy. Certain phrases that you will encounter make no sense if translated literally ("Hako-iri Musume" - "Daughter in a Box"), and can only be understood in the context of the society they are a part of. (A sheltered girl who is taken care of by her parents like a doll in a protective box.)

Kitterdge Cherry understands this, and has tackled a specific part of Japanese language/culture, that of Japan's view of women as expressed through the language. In this book, "Womansword: What Japanese words say about women," she has combed through the female-specific vocabulary and supplied a cultural background for each word or phrase. In this manner, she has written an interesting book that not only offers new vocabulary but also provides some valuable insight.

As a vocabulary builder, "Womansword" is limited but useful. Many of the terms are outdated, as the book was written in 1987, and many of the words have not been used commonly for more than 60 years. However, when reading Japanese literature, or living daily life in Japan, I have encountered enough of the vocabulary presented here to have been glad that I read the book. Most of these are "casual words," the types of things you are likely to find in Manga or daily chit-chat than anything else. I recommend you check with a Japanese friend before using the majority of these words though. I have busted some out and found later that they were inappropriate, a distinction that Cherry does not make.

As a cultural book it is more successful. Cherry, who is an activist as a lesbian minister in the US, keeps the tone of the book neutral and non-judgemental, something which I really appreciated. In a book like this it would be easy to condemn Japanese culture, but education
and elucidation are the genuine aims. Japan's treatment of women has come a long way since 1987, but it is still a very different culture from the US, one where gender differences are more acknowledged, and gender roles more accepted. Books such as "Womansword" can help to put this in perspective.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a good book., October 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Womansword: What Japanese Words Say About Women (Paperback)

I feel compelled to write purely to disagree with the previous reviewer about Making out in Japanese. While Womansword gives all sort of interesting analysis of interesting words and situations, it will not help you at all doing what most newcomers to Japan want to do, which is to either make friends or lovers out of those Japanese who are not English speakers. Making out in Japanese is simplistic, but it is a non-threatening, easily employed tool for making those first and very difficult steps into the forbidding Japanese language. When I started Japanese, almost a decade ago, I read it for entertainment, and it helped me learn. It got left behind as I went from a beginner to an intermediate speaker of Japanese, but I remember it fondly.