The Problem of Female Impurity in Japan in the Light of Sixteenth‑Century European Accounts

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to describe sixteenth-century Japanese women from the religious perspective, by referring to early European sources. For European travelers to Japan it was the time of relatively free and extensive discovery of the country. Prior to the arrival of Francis Xavier in 1549, reports by Nicolao Lancilotto and Jorge Alvareza provided accurate information on women’s “impurity” due to blood pollution, their periodic isolation and restrictions in accessing sacred places (Mount Kōya). The picture was later on supplemented by Jesuit missionaries (Francis Xavier, Luis Frois and Alessandro Valignano) with details concerning Buddhist discourse on women and their rather pessimistic prospects for salvation rooted in the concept of impurity. To fully comprehend European sources on the subject, an attempt was made to verify how well they reflect historical realities of the time. Confrontation against Japanese sources, however, confirmed their accuracy by far.