East Asia Seminar - Dr Ethan Segal

Gender Politics, Conflicting Sources, and the Legacies of Hōjō Masako and Medieval Japan

The creation of Japan’s first samurai government in the late twelfth century is often seen as marking the start of a long decline in women’s rights. Yet a woman, Hōjō Masako (1157-1225), wife of the first shōgun and mother of the next two, played a crucial role in developing some of its key institutions. What do we know about this enigmatic figure who, according to contemporary sources, was Japan’s only female shōgun? Why do later medieval sources vilify her as a heartless mother and scheming wife who meddled in politics? Such contrasting views have carried through to modern times and can be found even in present-day portrayals of Masako in televised historical dramas. This talk examines the challenges of using conflicting sources to write biography through a detailed study of Masako, highlighting the role of gender in medieval politics while exploring the reasons behind the shifting perceptions of her over the centuries.

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Ethan Segal is Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University. He is the author of Coins, Trade, and the State: Economic Growth in Early Medieval Japan as well as articles and book chapters on topics including money and trade, proto-naionalism, and medieval estates. He is currently working on two research projects, one on women in early warrior society and another on pre-modern economic thought.