Shirabyōshi dancers in the diary of Lady Sarashina
For a very small and specific part of the novel, I decided to research the role of a specific kind of dancers in medieval Japan, called shirabyōshi. As it happens, their role and characteristics are highly romanticized (i.e., objectified) by male authors of the time: they’re often portrayed as femmes fatales and seductresses, and this […]
For a very small and specific part of the novel, I decided to research the role of a specific kind of dancers in medieval Japan, called shirabyōshi. As it happens, their role and characteristics are highly romanticized (i.e., objectified) by male authors of the time: they’re often portrayed as femmes fatales and seductresses, and this is marginally what this part of the novel is about.
In order to look for better sources, we need to be sexist and look for female contemporary authors, and one of the most relevant is lady Sarashima, the daughter of a provincial governor who writes a sort of retrospective diary. In today’s post on my Patreon, we read a snippet of her night encounter with three travelling entertainers.
