婦人生ひ立ち双六 Fujin oitachi sugoroku

Sugoroku is a traditional Japanese game with two main forms: ban-sugoroku, a backgammon-style dice game, and e-sugoroku, a pictorial board game similar to Snakes and Ladders. This item is an e-sugoroku, a colourful game sheet where players advance through illustrated squares, from start to end, guided by the roll of dice.

This game sheet was issued as a supplement to Fujin Sekai (Women’s World) magazine in the 1918 New Year issue. Measuring 77.5 x 53.5 cm, it offers a fascinating glimpse into women’s lives during Japan’s Taishō era (1912–1926).

At first glance, the game seems conventional, the ultimate goal being marriage. Yet, the path to that ending reflects broader social changes, incorporating new images of women’s education, work, and rights.

Women’s magazines of this period became powerful tools in shaping and promoting the concept of the “modern Japanese woman” and the “modern home.” They mediated between tradition and modernity.

Fujin Sekai (Women’s World) magazine, first published in 1897, originally promoted the Meiji-era ideal of the “good wife, wise mother.” By the Taishō years, however, the magazine was adapting to a rapidly changing society, featuring stories of women stepping into public life and engaging in social reform.

Call number: Elephant Folio EA 6352 77