Chigo in the Medieval Japanese Imagination

[thoth_moon]

From The Journal of Asian Studies Vol. 67, No. 3 (August) 2008:

Chigo in the Medieval Japanese Imagination

PAUL S. ATKINS

This article explores the representation of chigo-adolescent males attached to Buddhist temples or aristocratic households who were educated, fed, and housed in exchange for personal, including sexual, services-in

Comments

[hcolleen]

That sounds like a very interesting line of research...and would actually explain several of the modern sterotypes in yaoi and shonen ai, almost especially shouta.

Ahhhh, now I'm curious.

[thoth_moon]

I might have time to go read that article this weekend; if I do I shall be taking notes and shall most definitely type them up and share if you like ^_^

In the meantime I did find this - http://www.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-0741(198022)35%3A2%3C127%3ACMLSOB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5
I've only read the first two pages but I think it might be more about the religious themes in chigo monogatari literature than about the chigo themselves. I'll read more of it later after I've figured out just what I'm doing with my chimpanzee/bonobo stuff.

[akai_senshi]

FUCKING AWESOME.

I remember reading stuff like this.

And I also wonder if Sensui is one of these gone horribly wrong?

[thoth_moon]

Maybe. I'll have to go read the whole article once I have the time and take a look at some of the chigo examples they give.