Treatment of Children in Shogunate Japan
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Source A would be of great use to an historian investigating the characteristics of Shogunate Japan, in particular, it could prove a highly valuable source for showing how children were treated in this period of Japanese history, allowing for inferences to be made by each individual historian. The main message demonstrated in this source is that children in Shogunate Japan had access to educational facilities and resources, especially in the Tokugawa period. The colour woodblock print depicts two female teachers, and numerous young pupils. The children are being taught morals, manners and basic etiquette, alongside literacy and numeracy. The source doesn’t reveal how children were treated in Shogunate Japan however it allows historians to make interpretations and inferences, corroborated by other evidence. One can infer from the colour woodblock print, that children were entitled to an education, suggesting that they were highly regarded and treated well. From gaining an education, children were able to pursue other careers, especially in literature. Therefore, this source illustrates potential ideas about how children were treated in Shogunate Japan, verifying that it is a useful source for this purpose.
The limitations of Source A’s usefulness are that its perspective is limited to that of the Japanese artist, Chottoko Hanazato. The source may be a personal opinion, and was most likely crafted to gain profit. The source may rely heavily on the artist’s perspective and subsequently, give a misleading depiction of how children were treated in Shogunate Japan. Moreover, it is a primary source made between 1844-1848, suggesting that the artist hasn’t had access to other sources regarding this topic. The artist’s motives for producing the source may have been to create an artwork that pleased buyers, whilst having reference to what was happening in Japan at the time.
In terms of its reliability, Source A is an artwork, and since it is a primary source, the artist who produced it would have had first hand information, direct experiences and wouldn’t have forgotten or embellished important facts related to this topic. Furthermore, the message depicted in the source is supported by evidence that states that children were considered the creators of many Japanese islands, and were thus, considered sacred and treated favourably. On the other hand, the source may be less useful to historians because it only demonstrates a small minority of Japanese society, resulting in an inaccurate depiction of how children were treated in Shogunate Japan.
The limitations of Source A’s usefulness are that its perspective is limited to that of the Japanese artist, Chottoko Hanazato. The source may be a personal opinion, and was most likely crafted to gain profit. The source may rely heavily on the artist’s perspective and subsequently, give a misleading depiction of how children were treated in Shogunate Japan. Moreover, it is a primary source made between 1844-1848, suggesting that the artist hasn’t had access to other sources regarding this topic. The artist’s motives for producing the source may have been to create an artwork that pleased buyers, whilst having reference to what was happening in Japan at the time.
In terms of its reliability, Source A is an artwork, and since it is a primary source, the artist who produced it would have had first hand information, direct experiences and wouldn’t have forgotten or embellished important facts related to this topic. Furthermore, the message depicted in the source is supported by evidence that states that children were considered the creators of many Japanese islands, and were thus, considered sacred and treated favourably. On the other hand, the source may be less useful to historians because it only demonstrates a small minority of Japanese society, resulting in an inaccurate depiction of how children were treated in Shogunate Japan.