Today's world is dominated by systems and customs made by men, and so there are great inequalities between men and women. To rectify these inequalities, it will be necessary for women themselves to participate in the work of the world. However, when I speak of inequalities, I do not mean these are always to the advantage of men. Rather, however I look at it, I often see the advantage on the side of women. For example, there is sumo. We men rarely get to see a woman's naked body, but women can see a naked man any time by going to watch sumo. I think this is an advantage for women, and a disadvantage for men.

The mention of sumo reminds me-- once two pictures for the cover of a magazine called People were shown to officials of the Police Agency. One of the pictures could not be allowed because it showed a female nude. They said the other picture, being a male nude, could be published, even on the cover. However, both pictures were actually female nudes; the police, bless them, were wrong in thinking one was a male nude.

It is not just a matter of these superficial problems-- in the case of relations between men and women the world tends to think that men are always the seducers and women are always the seduced. In reality, surprisingly enough, women often seduce, if not by their words then by their behavior.

On this point, perhaps men could be cleared of false charges if women began to do the work that men do now. In that sense, I don't think it would be bad for women to take part in the work of the world. That is, I think that women can qualify to join in the work of the world only if women themselves emphasize their physiological and psychological differences from men.

Otherwise-- if they stress only the points of similarity between men and women-- only a small part of the work now done by the hands of men will be done by hands of women who are like men. And so, ultimately, the world would not make any progress.

There are some who think that women will inevitably lose their femininity if they take part in the work of the world. But I don't think so. Well of course, the traditional form of femininity might be destroyed. Femininity itself, however, would not disappear.

The following example may be rude to women, but if a wolf is raised by humans, it will be come a dog. It definitely will not become a cat, though. Even if women lose their traditional form, they will not lose their femininity itself-- by that I mean that when the dog sees a burglar, it will still bite him.

However, this is an argument based on principle. If I may speak my own preference, wolves are better than dogs. I'd like a fine, white she-wolf that will sew and take care of the children.

(February, 1921)