The change in the Japanese perception of male-male sexuality during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) and its impact on modern Japanese society

Abstract

Male-male sexuality has always played an important role in Japanese culture. It never met strong opposition from the government and the country's religious traditions, constituting a fundamental step in the growth path of every Japanese man. Following the Meiji Restoration (1868), the attitude of tolerance towards homosexuality that had characterized Japan underwent an important change. The need to modernize the country to cancel the unequal treaties signed with the European and American powers and avoid colonization pushed the newly formed government to wipe homosexuality out of Japanese history, interpreting it as the shameful legacy of a barbaric past. This thesis aims to illustrate the nature and consequences of this change, analyzing the effects it had not only on the Meiji population but also on the perception of male homosexuality in contemporary Japan. For this reason, this work has been divided into three sections, each of which focuses on a specific aspect of the complex Japanese view of male-male sexuality. The first chapter describes the Edo period (1603-1867) homosexual culture. The second chapter deals with the changes brought about by the newly formed Meiji government, specifically in the scientific and legal discourse. Finally, the third chapter analyzes the impact of the Meiji interpretation of male homosexuality in modern Japanese literature and the manga industry, focusing on the fetishization of male-male intercourse. This thesis, therefore, presents a complex portrait of Japanese male homosexuality, highlighting how the great social and scientific changes of the Meiji period have left a profound imprint on the media and contemporary Japanese society.