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is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth (boy)" and describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty (and sexual appeal) transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation. It has always shown the strongest manifestation in Japanese pop culture, gaining in popularity due to the androgynous glam rock bands of the 1970s, but it has roots in ancient Japanese literature, the homosocial and homoerotic ideals of the medieval Chinese imperial court and intellectuals, and Indian aesthetic concepts carried over from Hinduism, imported with Buddhism to China. Today, ''bishōnen'' are very popular among girls and women in Japan.〔 Reasons for this social phenomenon may include the unique male and female social relationships found within the genre. Some have theorized that ''bishōnen'' provide a non-traditional outlet for gender relations. Moreover, it breaks down stereotypes surrounding feminine male characters. These are often depicted with very strong martial arts abilities, sports talent, high intelligence, or comedic flair, traits that are usually assigned to the hero/protagonist. ==Origin== The prefix ''bi'' (美) more often than not refers to feminine beauty, and ''bijin'', literally "beautiful person", is usually, though not always, used to refer to beautiful women.〔 means "beautiful middle-aged man".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=On The Iconic Difference between Couple Characters in ''Boys Love'' Manga )〕 ''Biseinen'' is to be distinguished from ''bishōnen'' as is used to describe men who are of age, including those who have entered or completed tertiary education. The term ''shōnen'' is used to describe boys of middle and high school age. Last, ''bishota'' can be used to refer to a beautiful, pre-pubescent male child or a childlike male.〔 Outside Japan, ''bishōnen'' is the most well-known of the three terms, and has become a generic term for all beautiful boys and young men. The aesthetic of the ''bishōnen'' began as an ideal of a young homosexual lover, originally embodied in the , or adolescent boy, and was influenced by the effeminate male actors who played female characters in kabuki theater. The term arose in the Meiji era, in part to replace the by then obsolete erotic meaning of the older term ''wakashū'', whose general meaning of "adolescent boy" had by this point been supplanted by the new term shōnen.〔 The ''bishōnen'' was conceived of as "aesthetically different from both women and men () both the antithesis and the antecedent of adult masculinity". The ''bishōnen'' is typically slender, with clear skin, stylish hair, and distinctly feminine facial features (such as high cheekbones), but simultaneously retains a male body. This androgynous appearance is akin to the depiction of angels in Western renaissance art, with similar social roots for this aesthetic.〔 The aesthetic of the ''bishōnen'' was recorded in Lady Murasaki Shikibu's ''Tale of Genji'', written in about the year 1000 A.D. ''Genji'' concerns the exploits and romances of a young prince, the son of an emperor and beloved concubine, who is not in line to inherit the throne, and follows his intrigues through the court as he comes of age. The novel typifies the Heian age of Japanese history, a period of highly stylized romance. Prince Genji's beauty is described as transcendental, so much so that "one could have wished him a woman", with a bewitching attraction that is acknowledged by men and women alike. Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Amakusa Shirō have been identified as historical ''bishōnen''.〔Drazen, Patrick (October 2002). '"A Very Pure Thing": Gay and Pseudo-Gay Themes' in ''Anime Explosion! The What, Why & Wow of Japanese Animation'' Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press pp.91-94. ISBN 1-880656-72-8.〕 Ian Buruma notes that Yoshitsune was considered by contemporaries to be not physically prepossessing, but that his legend later grew and due to this, he became depicted with good looks. Abe no Seimei was depicted according to the standards of a Heian-era middle-aged man, but since 1989 he has been depicted as a modern-style bishonen. Kyokutei Bakin wrote many works with nanshoku undertones featuring bishonen characters, and in 1848 he used the term bishonen in the title of a work about the younger wakashu partner in the nanshoku relationship.〔 The bishōnen aesthetic is continued today in anime and manga, especially ''shōjo'' and ''BL''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bishōnen」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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