An Analysis Of Chounin Emotionalism Ethics In The Ukiyoe

Chounin historical evolution experienced three important stages, including Kamakura Muromachi Period, Shokuho Period and Edo Period. In Edo Period chounin meaned the industrial and commercial class who lived in status rating system of scholars, peasants, workers and businessman.In Edo Period, commodity economy developed tremendously, chounin strength and status were able to be enhanced. Chounin class rose abruptly which set the stage for chounin literature and art became the social mainstream culture. In the chounin literature and art, especially the rising of ukiyoe was in the spotlight. The ukiyoe set the secular life as its objects of performance, and its subject matters included the beauty paintings and the kabuki performers paintings and so on. The beauty paintings, kabuki performers paintings and the pornographs in ukiyoe reflected the ideology of anti-abstinence and anti-sumptuary of chounin emotionalism ethics.Chounin emotionalism ethics claimed the human natural temperament, that was the existence value of"human feeling"and its legitimacy, opposed the feudal ethical principles"giri"which were guided by samurai class, and pursuited"human liberation". The ideology of anti-abstinence and anti-sumptuary was an important part of the chounin emotionalism ethics. Ukiyoe did not fully reflect the ideology of anti- abstinence and anti-sumptuary, so if we want to understand chounin emotionalism ethics, we must combine the literatures of Ihara Saikaku and Chikamatsu Monzaemon.Chounin emotionalism ethics was an opposition of chounin class against samurai class in the ideological field, chounin revolted samurai's ideology of"abstinence"and"law-abiding"with chounin emotionalism ethics, and started the pace from the economical dominance to the ideaistic independence.