It is no secret that for centuries the Japanese woman has been, for most observers, a model of elegance and graceful beauty. The image of a kimono-clad, modest and often silent woman was attacked everywhere, allowing for maximum passive submission. If we look deeper at this image of the woman, can we say if this picture is complete? How do these women paint representational images in the modern world? The ideal woman in Japan is expected to be both a good wife and a wise mother. While these seem like reasonable expectations, they have a much deeper meaning that has shown signs of being obsolete. During the 1800s and 1900s, women were subject to society's view of them and could not break free for fear of the consequences. It was said that Japan was once a matriarchy, but over the years of social change, religious and philosophical ideas took over and lowered the position of women. At some point, Buddhist ideas established the idea that women were inherently evil. It was believed that they could never achieve the five states of spiritual awareness, and the only way to achieve them would be to be reborn as a man. Subsequently, Confucianism came to light. Confucianism taught the lesson that women were social parasites, inferior to men not only intellectually, but also morally. When feudalism occurred, women lost all legal rights. This was the lowest of the lows and women were subjected to the thought of being man's servants. There are women in current times who have proven that they are still capable of finding happiness through the role of servant, however many are trying to break free from the norm. More and more women are not afraid to carve out roles that are not consistent with the traditional ideal...... middle of paper...... Web. 2 December 2013. Olick, Diana. “Chinese Buy Housing in California.” CNBC.com. Np, Nov. 25, 2013. Web. Dec. 10, 2013. Roberts, Dexter. “Overheated real estate market in China: restrictive measures in sight?” Working week. NP, Oct. 22, 2013. Web. Dec. 10, 2013. Samuel, “The Chinese have come out really huge in the last year,” said Miller's Jonathan Miller. “Chinese buyers bring large sums of money to the US real estate market.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, July 8, 2013. Web. December 10, 2013. Sekiguchi, Toko, and Yuka Hayashi. "Biden applauds Japan's 'Womenomics' plan." Online.wsj.com. Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2013. Web.Silva-Grondin, Mallory A. “Women in Ancient Japan: From Matriarchal Antiquity to Acquiescent Confinement.” RSS. Student Pulse, 2010. Web. December 10, 2013. Tyson, Laura. “Japanese Women to the Rescue.” Economix Japans Women to the Rescue Comments. NY Times, April 21, 2013. Web. December 3. 2013.