Women’s Life Choices in Medieval Didactic Tales: “Kankyo no Tomo”

“Kankyo no Tomo” (1222) is a Japanese collection of didactic tales setsuwa, likely aimed primarily at a female readership. The entire second scroll of the col­lection is devoted to stories about women. The author of “Kankyo no Tomo”, monk Keisei, does not fundamentally challenge the traditional Buddhist view of women as imperfect and prone to sin. However, as an analysis of his work shows, he does not portray women as inherently evil either. Instead, he warns against excessive emotional attachment, including attachments to other people. For Keisei, the greatest danger lies in strong emotional bonds that ultimately lead one astray and obstruct the Buddhist Path. Through examples of virtuous women who were able to renounce the worldly life and overcome the supposed limitations of being born female, Keisei demonstrates that human weakness – namely, the tendency toward attachment – can be overcome. A woman, like a man, can choose not to succumb to it and, in turn, choose one of the many Buddhist paths according to her capacity.