A Man's Job? The Kôda Sisters, Violin Playing and Gender Stereotypes in the Introduction of Western Music in Japan

TY - JOUR

T1 - A Man's Job?

T2 - The Kôda Sisters, Violin Playing and Gender Stereotypes in the Introduction of Western Music in Japan

AU - Mehl, Margaret Dorothea

PY - 2012/2/1

Y1 - 2012/2/1

N2 - Playing the violin in Japan was pioneered by women. The first Japanese to study the violin abroad were Kda Nobu (1870-1946) and And K (née Kda, 1878-1963). Both taught at the Tokyo Academy of Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts) after their return. Kda later opened a piano studio. The article describes their lives and careers and shows how their Western expertise gave them unprecedented opportunities while their gender imposed limitations. It discusses the sisters' role in the transmission of Western music to Japan in the context of Western as well as Japanese preconceptions about appropriate musical roles for women.

AB - Playing the violin in Japan was pioneered by women. The first Japanese to study the violin abroad were Kda Nobu (1870-1946) and And K (née Kda, 1878-1963). Both taught at the Tokyo Academy of Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts) after their return. Kda later opened a piano studio. The article describes their lives and careers and shows how their Western expertise gave them unprecedented opportunities while their gender imposed limitations. It discusses the sisters' role in the transmission of Western music to Japan in the context of Western as well as Japanese preconceptions about appropriate musical roles for women.

U2 - 10.1080/09612025.2012.645675

DO - 10.1080/09612025.2012.645675

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0961-2025

VL - 21

SP - 101

EP - 120

JO - Women's History Review

JF - Women's History Review

IS - 1

ER -