Pederastic couples in Japan

"for ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and Persia"The tradition of Japanese pederasty originated in the relationships between Buddhist and Shinto clerics and their acolytes, who were known as chigo(稚児).

It was adopted in medieval times by the samurai warrior class, which utilized it as a means of acculturating young samurai into the warrior community, and as a means of reinforcing loyalty and friendship between comrades. It was known as Shudō and constructed as a Way, or dō that that had an ethic and an aesthetic, that could be transmitted, and was authoritative.

After the pacification of the country under the Tokugawa shogunate the tradition was borrowed by the rising townsmen classes and became increasingly commercialized.

A famous Pederastic couples is enumerated as follows.

Asuka and Nara period

Unknown. [However, it is recorded that Emperor Tenji and Fujiwara no Kamatari were in this relation in Oyamada Tomokiyo, " Nanshoku-kō ", 『男色考』]

Heian period

*Fujiwara no Yorimichi and Minamoto no Nagasue
**The Regent Yorimichi loved the boy exceedingly, therefore Nagasue was not admitted to celebrate his coming-of-age ceremony (and wear adult attire and tonsure) for a long time, although he had fully grown up. ["古事談" ("Kojidan")]

*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Tadamasa
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Tamemichi
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Kin'yoshi
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Ieaki
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Narichika
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Fujiwara no Takasue
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Minamoto no Narimasa
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Minamoto no Yoshikata
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Saeki no Sadatoshi
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Hata no Kanetoo
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Hata no Kimiharu
*Fujiwara no Yorinaga and Kimikata
**Kimikata had been a male-dancer in the Shitennō-ji Temple. Fujiwara no Yorinaga was a famous male-lover. In his diary there are many mentions on his erotic life with many men and boys. Fujiwara no Tadamasa (1129 - 1193), a young nobleman, was not only one of Yorinaga's lovers, but also Yorinaga's father Fujiwara no Tadazane's lover. ["台記" or "The Diary of Fujiwara no Yorinaga"]

Kamakura period

*Minamoto no Sanetomo and Wada Tomomori ["吾妻鏡","Azuma Kagami)"]
*Yoshida Kenkō and Myōmatsumaru ["本朝浜千鳥", "Honcho Hamachidori"]
*Emperor Go-Daigo and Hino Kumawakamaru (Hino Kunimitsu) [("塩尻", "Shiojiri," "太平記", "Taiheiki," "麓の色", "Fumoto no iro"]

Muromachi period

*Ashikaga Takauji and Aeba Myōzurumaru (Aeba Ujinao)
*Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Zeami Motokiyo
**In the shudō tradition, most shōguns took boys as lovers. Zeami caught the eye of his patron (then 16) at 11, in 1374. He became a playwright, father of Noh theater.
*Nijō Yoshimoto and Zeami Motokiyo
*Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Ogamaru (boy-dancer)
*Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Dōami
*Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Rokkaku Mitsutaka or Kamejumaru (1365-1416)
*Ashikaga Yoshimochi and Akamatsu Mochisada (?-1427)
**Shogun Yoshimochi, son of Yoshimitsu, granted lands which his beloved mismanaged. His own family denounced him, and he had to commit seppuku by order of his lover, the shogun.
*Ashikaga Yoshimochi and Zōami
*Ashikaga Yoshinori and Akamatsu Sadamura (nephew of Akamatsu Mochisada)
**For love of Sadamura, Shogun Yoshinori lost his life in 1441, assassinated by Akamatsu Mitsusuke , whose lands he had wanted to take and give to Sadamura.
*Ashikaga Yoshinori and Otoami ( adopted son of Zeami Motokiyo ).
*Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Akamatsu Norinao
**Norinao, granted lands at the time in possession of Yamana Sozen, was attacked by the latter and took his own life. The conflict ballooned into the Ōnin civil war of 1467.
*Ashikaga Yoshihisa and Yūki Hisataka
*Ashikaga Yoshihisa and Hirosawa Hisamasa or Kanze Hikojiro
*Hosokawa Katsumoto and Naitō Shirōzaemon
*Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yokogoshi Matasaburō
*Hosokawa Masamoto and Hosokawa Sumiyuki (1489-1507, son of Kujō Masamoto)
*Hosokawa Takakuni and Yanagimoto Kenji
**Takakuni, despite having sworn eternal love to Kenji, allowed Kenji's brother to be murdered. Later Kenji rose in vengeance against him with an army.
*Yanagimoto Kenji and Takahata Jinkurō
**Knowing Kenji prepared a rebellion, Jinkuro vowed silence, but refused to break his allegiance to Lord Takakuni, warning Kenji that despite

engoku period

*Hōjō Ujiyasu and Hōjō Tsunashige
**Hōjō Tsunashige was loved by Hōjō Ujiyasu. [新井白石 Arai Hakuseki " 藩翰譜" "Hankan-fu" ]
*Ōuchi Yoshitaka and Sue Harukata ["大内義隆軍記","Ōuchi Yoshitaka Gunki"]
*Ōuchi Yoshitaka and Kobayakawa Takakage（sons of Mōri Motonari）
*Ōuchi Yoshitaka and Sagara Taketo

*Takeda Shingen and Kosaka Masanobu
**In 1543 the 22-year-old future Daimyo sealed a written vow of love (still in existence) with his 16-year-old retainer, who served him as samurai in battle and page in peacetime. [Leupp, pp.53-54]

*Uesugi Kenshin and Kawada Nagachika （1545?－1581）
**Uesugi Kenshin, brave general and daimyo, he did not married throughout his life.
**In the military epic ["Shōnen-ai no Renga Haikai shi" 1997, ISBN 4-8060-4623-x] , there are no grounds as the historical fact though it is insisted to Kenshin that there be a sexual relation to 600 boys.
*Uesugi Kenshin and Naoe Kanetsugu
*Uesugi Kagekatsu and Naoe Kanetsugu [新井白石 Arai Hakuseki " 藩翰譜" "Hankan-fu" ,太田錦城 Ota Kinjo " 梧窓漫筆" ,"Goso-manpitsu"]

*Satake Yoshishige(1547-1612) and Ashina Moritaka
*Uragami Munekage and Ukita Naoie
*Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Matsunaga Hisahide
*Matsunaga Hisahide and Yagyū Shigeyoshi (younger brother of Yagyū Muneyoshi)
*Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Matsui Sadonokami
**Sadonokami remained as the Shogun's lover until he reached adulthood, when he entered the service of the Hosokawa family, where his descendants can be found to the present day.
*Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Oodate Iwachiyomaru
**The Jesuit Father Luis Frois writes of the 13-year-old (15-year-old in Japanese document) page's seppuku upon the death of his lord, the Shogun in 1565.
*Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Minoya Koshiro ( the 16-year-old page )
*Imagawa Ujizane and Miura Yoshishige.
*Imagawa Ujizane and two sons of Ukai Nagateru (Imagawa Ujzane's cousin); Ukai Ujinaga and Ukai Ujitsugu.
*Oyamada Masayuki and Nishina Morinobu (son of Takeda Shingen).
*Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Ueno Masanobu(Hori Magohachirō)

Azuchi-Momoyama period

*Oda Nobunaga and Maeda Inuchiyo (Maeda Toshiie )
**Maeda Toshiie was very attractive as a boy, so at the age of 15 he became Oda Nobunaga's favorite and was always with him day and night. Afterwards at a celebration banquet in 1576, Oda Nobunaga related his reminiscences and told him "You were my very favorite boy indeed, and every night slept with me on the same bed(futon)" holding Toshiie's beard with smile. Listening to his memoirs, all samurai warriors and daimyo at the banquet were envious of Toshiie's good luck, and remarked with one voice "Bravo Maeda Toshiie! You exremely lucky man, because you were profoundly loved by our lord prince Nobunaga". ["亜相公御夜話" or "Night-stories of Maeda Toshiie"]
*Oda Nobunaga and Hori Hidemasa
*Oda Nobunaga and Manmi Senchiyo (Manmi Shigemoto) (1549-1578)
**Manmi Senchiyo is famous as one of the four most beautiful boys (bishōnen) in the Sengoku period. ["戦国美少年四天王"]
*Araki Murashige（1535-1586） and Manmi Senchiyo (Manmi Shigemoto)
**Manmi Senchiyo was formerly a page to Araki Murashige. But he was so beautiful that Oda Nobunaga took him away from Araki.
*Oda Nobunaga and Hasegawa Hidekazu (? -1594)

*Uesugi Kagekatsu and Kiyono Naganori （1573?－1634）
**Kiyono Naganori is a person whom Uesugi Kagekatsu loved passionately most deeply his life.

*Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Fuwa Bansaku（or Fuwa Mansaku,1578-1595）
**Hidetsugu, regent to the emperor, ended up having to commit seppuku in 1595, joined by his beloved Fuwa Bansaku.
**Fuwa Bansaku is famous as one of the three most beautiful boys (三大美少年bishōnen) in the Sengoku period. [太田錦城 Ota Kinjo " 梧窓漫筆" ,"Goso-manpitsu"]
*Gamō Ujisato and Nagoya Sanzaburō （1572 - 1603）
**Nagoya Sanzaburō is famous as one of the three most beautiful boys (三大美少年bishōnen) in the Sengoku period. [太田錦城 Ota Kinjo " 梧窓漫筆" ,"Goso-manpitsu"]
*Kimura Yoshikiyo and Asaka Shōjirō
**Asaka Shōjirō is famous as one of the three most beautiful boys (三大美少年bishōnen) in the Sengoku period.

*Date Masamune and Katakura Kojūrō Shigetsuna（later Katakura Shigenaga
*Kobayakawa Hideaki and Katakura Kojūrō Shigetsuna（later Katakura Shigenaga
**When Katakura came up to Kyoto, Kobayakawa Hideaki fell in love with him at first sight and wooed him, pursuing him with intense passion. [『片倉代々記』,"Katakura Daidaiki"]

Tokugawa period (Edo period)

*Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ii Manchiyo (Ii Naomasa)
**One of many beloveds of the shogun, Manchiyo was a scion of an allied powerful clan. [Louis Crompton, p.439]

*Sakabe Gozaemon and Tokugawa Iemitsu
**The childhood friend and retainer, aged 21, was murdered by his 16-year-old beloved as they shared a bathtub, in 1620. [Crompton, p.439] Sakabe was killed by Tokugawa Iemitsu, because he (Sakabe) had embraced and played with other boys in the bath. These boys were pages to Iemitsu. ["寛明記事" ("Kanmei-kiji") or "The Chronicle from kan'ei to meireki"]
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Hotta Masamori
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Sakai Shigezumi(1607-1642)
*Abe Shigetsugu (1598-1651, son of Abe Masatsugu) and Tokugawa Iemitsu
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Uchida Masanobu
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Yagyū Tomonori (1612-1639, son of Yagyū Munenori)
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Yagyū Mitsuyoshi (1607-1650, son of Yagyū Munenori)
*Nakane Masamori (1588-1666) and Tokugawa Iemitsu
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Kaji Sadayoshi
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Asakura Toyoaki
*Tokugawa Iemitsu and Takashima Sakon

*Date Masamune and Tadano Sakujurō (Tadano Katsuyoshi)
**In circa 1617 the 50 year-old Daimyō sealed a written vow of love (still in existence) with his favorite boy (koshō,小姓) Tadano Sakujuro, like Takeda Shingen. ["Date Masamune's letters", Tokyo: Sinchosensho,1995, ISBN-10: 4106004798 ISBN-13: 978-4106004797]

*Nabeshima Mitsushige and Yamamoto Tsunetomo ["葉隠","Hagakure"]
**Yamamoto was one of koshō (小姓) pages to Mitsushige.
*Tokugawa Tsunayoshi and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
**Yoshiyasu served the shogun, 12 years his senior, from ca. 1660 at an early age, and both played major roles in the incident of the 47 ronin of 1701.
**Tokugawa Tsunayoshi loved boys profoundly just like his father Tokugawa Iemitsu. Tsunayoshi had the special harem of which all the members were beautiful boys, and maintained sexual relationships with more than 150 handsome youths. Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu(one of Tsunayoshi's ex-lovers) kept many beautiful boys in his premises and every time shogun Tsunayoshi visited his(Yoshiyasu's) mansion, he presented them to the shogun like Madame de Pompadour's Parc-aux-cerfs. ["三王外記""Sanno gaiki"or "The secret history of the three rulers", 御当代記" or "The history of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi",etc.]
*Moriwaki Gonkuro and Mashida Toyonoshin
**On being challenged to a duel in 1667 by a man whose advances he had rejected, sixteen year old Toyonoshin appeals to his thirty one year old lover, with whom he has been in relationship for three years, for assistance. The two end up fighting and defeating the interloper and his henchmen, then prepare for seppuku to atone for having killed the lord's men, only to be forgiven by the lord for their valor. [Rictor Norton, Ed. "My Dear Boy: Gay Love Letters through the Centuries;" pp.71-72]
*Asano Naganori and Tanaka Sadajirō
**Asano Naganori , like other daimyōs, loved many handsome boys very much. And the cause of the Forty-seven Ronin incident was a trouble associated with shudō. When Kira Yoshinaka wanted Asano's beautiful youth Hibiya Ukon, Asano rejected flatly. Indignant Kira, accordingly began to bother Asano one after another. ["Seichu bukan","誠忠武鑑","Chugi Bukegirimonogatari","忠義武家義理物語","Chugi Taiheiki-taizen","忠義太平記大全",etc.]

References

ources

* Ihara Saikaku (Paul Gordon Schalow, trans.). "The Great Mirror of Male Love." Stanford University Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0804718950
* Leupp, Gary. "Male Colors: The Construction of Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan." University of California Press, 1997. ISBN 978-0520209008
* Pflugfelder, Gregory. "Cartographies of Desire: Male-Male Sexuality in Japanese Discourse, 1600-1950." University of California Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0520251656
* Watanabe, Tsuneo et Jun'ichi Iwata, "La voie des éphèbes: histoire et histoires des homosexualités au Japon." Paris, 1987. ISBN 2865090248
* Watanabe, Tsuneo and Jun'ichi Iwata. "The Love of the Samurai: A Thousand Years of Japanese Homosexuality." GMP, London, 1989. ISBN 0-85449-115-5
* Miller, Stephen D. (edited), "Partings at Dawn : An Anthology of Japanese Gay Literature." 1996. ISBN 0-940567-18-0

* Hanafusa Shiro, "Nanshoku-ko," 1928.
* Inagaki Taruho, "Inagaki Taruho Taizen 2," 1969.
* Domoto Masaki, "Nanshoku Engeki-shi," 1970.
* Domoto Masaki, "Nanshoku Engeki-shi," (New rev.), 1976.
* Iwata, Jun'ichi, "Honcho Nanshoku-ko," 1974.
* Iwata, Jun'ichi, "Nanshoku bunkenshoshi," 1973.
* Minakata Kumagusu, "Minakata Kumagusu Zenshu 9," 1973.
* Hasegawa Kozo and Tsukikawa Kazuo (eds.), "Minakata Kumagusu nanshoku dangi," 1991. ISBN 4896946138
* Iwata, Jun'ichi, "Honcho Nanshoku-ko & Nanshoku bunkenshoshi," 2002. ISBN 4562034890
* Sunaga Asahiko, "Bishōnen Nihonshi," 2002. ISBN 4336043981
* Sunaga Asahiko et al.(eds.), "Shomotsu no Okoku 8; Bishōnen," 1997. ISBN 4336040087
* Sunaga Asahiko et al.(eds.), "Shomotsu no Okoku 9; Ryoseiguyu," 1998. ISBN 4336040095
* Sunaga Asahiko et al.(eds.), "Shomotsu no Okoku 10; Doseiai, 1999. ISBN 4336040109

* Hanasaki kazuo, "Edo no Kagemajaya," 1980, 1991.
* Hanasaki kazuo, "Edo no Kagemajaya," (New rev.), 2002. ISBN 4895222853
* Hanasaki kazuo, "Edo no Kagemajaya," (New rev.), 2006. ISBN 4895224708

* Ujiie Mikito, "Bushido to Eros 1995. ISBN 406149239x
* Ujiie Mikito, "Edo no Seidan," 2003. ISBN 4062683857

* Hiratsuka Yoshinobu, "Nihon ni okeru Nanshoku no Kenkyu," 1983.
* Shibayama Hajime, "Edo Nanshoku-ko," 3 vol. 1992-1993. ISBN 4826501501, ISBN 4826501528, ISBN 482650151x
* Saneyoshi Tatsuo, "Honcho Bishōnen-roku," 1993. ISBN 4875199155
* Kakinuma Eiko, Kurihara Chiyo et al. (eds.), "Tanbi-Shosetsu, Gay-Bungaku Book Guide," 1993. ISBN 4893673238

* Shunroan Shujin (Watanabe Shin'ichiro), "Edo no Shikido; Nanshoku-hen," 1996. ISBN 4916067177
* Watanabe Shin'ichiro, "Edo no Keibo-jutsu," 2005. ISBN 4106035472

* Koishikawa Zenji (edited), "Nanshoku no minzokugaku," ISBN 4826503830
* Koishikawa Zenji (edited), "Gei no minzokugaku," ISBN 4826504357

*Timon Screech, Takayama Hiroshi(translat.), "Shunga," 1998. ISBN 4062581280

ee also

*Dō
*nanshoku
*shudo
*chigo
*kassiki
*Ihara Saikaku
*Samurai
*paiderastia

External links

* [http://www.androphile.org/ World history of homosexual and pederastic relationships]