User:Morgan695/sandbox3

Hotaru Kari (ほたる狩り, "Firefly Hunting"), illustration by Shigeru Sudō, 1926

Class S (Japanese: クラスS, Hepburn: kurasu esu), also known as esu kankei (エス関係, lit. "S relationship") and abbreviated as S or esu (エス), is a social practice that emerged in early 20th century Japan of intimate romantic friendships between school-aged girls. The term is also used to designate a literary genre of works that depict this practice.

Etymology

"Class S" is a wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English) term

History

The history of Class S is closely linked to the history of female education in Japan. The country entered a process of modernization at the beginning of the Meiji era in 1868, and in 1872 elementary school became compulsory for boys and girls.

References

Bibliography

• Pflugfelder, Gregory (2005). "'S' is for Sister: Schoolgirl Intimacy and 'Same-Sex Love' in Early Twentieth-Century Japan". In Molony, Barbara; Uno, Kathleen (eds.). Gendering Modern Japanese History. Harvard University Asia Center. pp. 133–190. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1tg5pmc.
• Shamoon, Deborah (2012). Passionate Friendship: The Aesthetics of Girl's Culture in Japan. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-82483-542-2.