Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between late-Heian and early-Kamakura Japanese motherhood and Buddhist gaki or hungry ghosts. It highlights the physical, emotional, and spiritual burdens faced by mothers, emphasizing their role in the cycle of rebirth. Drawing from the diaries of aristocratic women, the paper illuminates the emotional and societal challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society. It highlights how women were often seen as more likely to be reborn as gaki due to gendered stereotypes and how motherhood was revered while simultaneously being tarnished.
First Page
26
Last Page
38
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Olivas, Melina
(2024)
"Motherhood Through the Lens of Medieval Japanese Ghosts,"
Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 14:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2024.140102
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol14/iss1/2