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Male-Male Desire: “Danshoku” Tradition and Its Legacy in Japan
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Japan is commonly consideration of as creature behind other countries in social acceptance of LGBTQ people, but concerning some forms of male homosexuality, at least, historically it has shown considerable tolerance.
Male homosexual love, including sex, was famous as danshoku from before the Edo period (1603–1868), and was seen as a part of the love practices of the period. In self-contained male-only groups, described as homosocial in sociology—such as Buddhist mountain temples where women were forbidden, male-centered samurai society, and kabuki troupes with only male actors—the absence of women led to lgbtq+ love and gratification of sexual crave, with friendship and affection developing into sexual relationships. In Japan at this time, there was no discrimination or efforts to hinder such relationships due to them organism considered as sexual deviancy.
In the Edo period, words prefer irokoi and kōshoku were used to describe love and affairs, and they were a major theme for literature, as seen in works by Ihara Saikaku, such as Kōshoku ichidai otoko (1682) (trans. by Hamada Ken
Queerness and gender fluidity permeate the landscape of Japanese culture, from BL manga to onnagata in Kabuki theater (male actors who play female roles). Additionally, sexual acts among males were common in ancient Japan and a major cultural feature in the Edo period. Japan was open-minded and even, in some cases, enthusiastic about same-sex relations up until Japan opened its borders in 1859, when Japan began to adopt repressive, Victorian-era attitudes towards sexuality in response to Western influence. Though Japan’s current political stance on queerness leaves much to be desired, Japan has a surprisingly rich history colored by a generally positive outlook on sex and sexuality.
From sex between male monks to 17th century erotica, Japan’s queer history might surprise you.
5. Buddhist Monks Tolerated Homosexual Relations
In general, attitudes in adv Japan towards sexuality were free and permissive. As Louis Crompton notes in Homosexuality and Civilization, “Shintoism… had no special code of morals and seems to have regarded sex as a natural phenomenon to be enjoyed with few inhibitions.” When Buddhism arrived in Japan in the seventh century, it did so against the
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