Images of the Fetus in Pre-modern and Modern Japan: Exploring the perception and understanding of childbirth and the woman’s body

Dr. Yasui's talk will clarify how perceptions and representations of the fetus in Japan have changed through time, predominantly between the 18^th and 20^th centuries. The talk will focus on the Tainai totsuki zu 胎内十月図, or Ten Months in the Womb, a series of illustrations circulated throughout Japan in the 18^th century which shed light on the monthly development of the fetus from conception to birth. In this presentation various kinds of Tainai totsuki zu will be used to examine how the Japanese perceived the female body and fetus during pregnancy. In order to make clear how these perceptions evolved over time, the paper will make comparisons with similar illustrations from the 20^th century, by which time images of fetal development were based on Western biomedical science.