Thomas Conlan, Professor of East Asian Studies and History, Princeton University

In 1232, Japan’s first warrior government formalized the Jōei Code, which became the basis of Japanese law for centuries. After briefly comparing this code with the unrelated Magna Carta, this talk will analyze how this oft-amended code created a strong sense of judicial right, with particular focus on legal protections offered to women which were unprecedented at the time. Thereupon, the role of this code as becoming legal custom in later centuries will be explored, before alluding to the existence of strong land rights in Japan today.

This online lecture will be presented live on Zoom and is free and open to the public. A Q&A session will follow.