에도시대 여성여행의 특성연구

Female Tourism During Japan's Edo Period (1603-1868) - Accounts from the Travel Diaries of Edo Japan's Female Travelers -

Although travel did exist in ancient Japan, it is difficult to classify it as actual tourism because of the great amount of restrictions placed on travel. Most travel was limited only to official matters. Nobles only traveled on official business, while commoners only traveled on official state-matters such as wars. In the middle-ages Japan's nobility began to travel not only for official business but also for leisure thus creating a very active travel environment. In addition, travel among the common-class also became more widespread during the Edo Period. During this time travel was not as free or simple for women as it is today. Most historians feel that during the Edo Period factors such as feudalism, strict social hierarchies, and Japan's patriarchal society combined to suppress the social status of women. However, the discovery of numerous travel diaries written by women as they traveled throughout Japan illustrates not only that travel was possible for women, it proves that it indeed occurred. Through a careful analysis of these travel diaries, this paper will investigate the concept of travel, methods of travel (ie transportation and accommodation), regional destinations, and governmental policies affecting travel. The emergence of literature and of Confucian philosophy instilled in women the desire to further their learning and their experience through travel. While on these enlightening travels, many women kept accounts of their experiences in the form of travel diaries. While history books can only report the history of established institutions and formalities, these travel diaries can record a much greater cross section of life among the general populous. Because these travel diaries were written while on the road, and differ greatly from diaries written at home, they are excellent examples of Japanese travel modes of the period.