History at play: How games reflect the socio-political situation in Edo Japan

Abstract

Societies are complex systems, with their different cultures, economic structures, gender roles, religions, and socio-political structures. This thesis’ underlying argument is that the games we play reflect our society, and also that society can influence the content or rules of the games, or even who plays them. The focus of this thesis is a study of the specific ludic features of the Edo period (1603-1868) of Japan, a time that saw significant societal changes yet at the same time an entrenchment of traditional values. The historical setting of the Tokugawa shogunate, which achieved the first lasting peace after centuries of strife, is provided as necessary background, followed by an in-depth analysis of three popular games played in the Edo period: a matching/memory-type game (awase-gai, a shell game), two racing board games (ban-soguroku, similar to backgammon, and e-soguroku, similar to Snakes and Ladders), and a strategy game (Go).