“Empowering through the Mundane: Royal Women’s Households in 12^th and 13^th Century Japan”, Kawai Sachiko2022-01-08 (Japanese history)⁠:

This paper argues that commodities such as bamboo blinds, flooring materials [straw mats], and food supplies are valuable historical sources for understanding the power of Heian and Kamakura royal women.

Vases and bowls excavated from the Noto Peninsula, for example, show that Premier Royal Lady Kōkamon-in (1122–1181) played an important role during the twelfth century in starting Suzu stoneware [Suzuyaki] production at her Wakayama Estate and stimulated interregional commerce. From this growing industry, she gained economic benefits and strengthened her political networks.

Another contemporary female landlord, Senyōmon-in [Princess Kinshi] (1181–1252), implemented a due-collection [outstanding rents] plan for obtaining material objects that maintained the livelihood of her palace. Mundane items including household furnishing articles supported her economic well-being while buttressing her political and cultural influence over the course of her life. By collecting various items from her estates, such as blinds, curtains, and mats, she supported her adopted children and widened her human networks. With the effective use of such material goods, she could seek political allies and align with leading courtiers who participated in decision-making meetings at court.

As a whole, the above case studies show that series of innocuous data such as excavated ceramic pieces and recorded object types can be used to reveal a level of substantial cultural, political, and religious influence.

[Keywords: medieval Japan, Asian history, royal women, nyoin, gender, materials, primary sources, Heian, Kamakura]