I thought it would be easy.Īs is often the case, it turns out I was completely wrong. I would point to the Japanese version of Judeo-Christian anti-homosexuality beliefs and call it a day. My hypothesis was that I would find my answers in Japan's ancient and medieval past, assuming that Japan would be like the West in this regard. I wanted to understand the overwhelming societal pressure placed upon people who are LGBT to, well, not be. The Last Samurai starring Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise. I came upon this information while researching an article (still to come) about the current state of the LGBT community in Japan. Much like that time we found out that bushido is actually modern-day made-up bullshit, this might surprise you. Remember the popular scene in The Last Samurai where Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise make sweet, tender love? You don’t? Well, perhaps if the story had been more rooted in reality we could have seen that happen.Īs it turns out, pre-modern Japan was exceptionally accepting, even encouraging, of male homosexuality and bisexuality.
