Żona, gejsza czy emancypantka? Wizerunek Japonek w wybranej prasie polskiej w latach 30. XX wieku

In: Studia Orientalne, Band 22, Heft 2, S. 7-28

Abstract

The Polish interwar press tried to bring its readers closer to the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. Many articles were devoted to Japanese women. Usually, it was done by mass magazines such as sensational "As" and travel-geographical "Na Szerokim Świecie" [On the Broad World] published by holding "Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny" [Illustrated Daily Courier], as well as Warsaw "Naokoło Świata" [Around the World], and women's magazines, e.g., "Bluszcz" [Ivy]. A Japanese was presented either as a mysterious woman of exotic beauty and a mysterious soul, a wife devoted to the family, a victim of the patriarchal system, or an emancipate fighting for political, professional, and social rights. The mass magazines and women focused on the social situation of Japanese women, stressing that it was extremely unfavourable and, as an example, gave their unequal position in marriage. However, they added that their position had improved rapidly, although they still had a long way to go to emancipate. The interwar press tried to combat common stereotypes about the inhabitants of Japan. One was to say that all Japanese women are, by nature, perfect wives, mothers, and mothers-in-law, and the other that geishas are luxury prostitutes.