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She looks ever so dashing in that attire today! If she were really a man, I would make certain that he would marry me!
"Dansou no Reijin" (JP) is a term for a female character who is elegant and beautifully feminine, but also cross-dresses in men's clothing.
The male counterpart is josou danshi.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Dansou no Reijin (男装の麗人) is a combination of "dansou" (男装), meaning "wearing men's clothing (cross-dressing)", and "reijin" (麗人), meaning "an elegant and beautiful woman". All together the phrase means "a beautiful woman dressed as a man".[1][2]
Origin
The term originated in 1937 to describe the real-life Chinese princess, Yoshiko Kawashima.[2] After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Yoshiko was sent to Japan by her father to live with a military leader acquaintance of his. Yoshiko had a fiery personality and loved the limelight. She shocked Japanese society by dressing in men's clothes and rose to prominence as Commander Jin, touted in Japan's media as a new Joan of Arc. It was during this time that Yoshiko became widely known across Japan for her renown beauty, leading to a semi-fictionalized novel starring her as the main character being written by Muramatsu Kozukaze who dubbed her the "Dansou no Reijin" (the beauty in men's clothing).[3][4]
Yoshikawa's story became so popular in Japan that she would go on to inspire many future characters. Her story would even go on to receive a live-action film adaptation known as Dansou no Reijin: Kawashima Yoshiko no Shougai (JP) in 2008.[5]
Localization
This archetype is also unofficially called "bifauxnen" in the Western community. This comes from a combination of the Japanese word "bi" (美), meaning "beautiful", the English word "faux", meaning "imitation", and the Japanese word "shounen" (少年), meaning a "young boy". The term is a pun on the word "bishounen", or "beautiful boy with traditionally feminine features". In other words, they are an imitation "pretty boy" since their men's clothing makes them look like a pretty male.[6]
History
Early Inspirations
Aside from Yoshiko, the archetype is also based on the concept of "otokayaku" (男役), or "male role", from the all-female musical theater Takarazuka Revue formed in 1913 in which all characters are played by women.[2][7]
Media
One of the first notable examples of a dansou no reijin character came in the 1953 manga series Princess Knight (JP). The series was a European-like fairy tale that starred the character Sapphire, a princess who pretends to be a male prince so she can inherit the throne. The character was heavily inspired by the Takarazuka Revue, with the author Osamu Tezuka wanting to create a character who could play the role of both a woman and a man.
Another early example was the 1972 manga series The Rose of Versailles (JP) by Riyoko Ikeda. The series was centered on the French Revolution and followed the character Oscar François de Jarjayes, who was raised as a man so she could succeed her father in becoming the commander of the royal guard. Despite many raised as a man, she embraced her feminine side while using her masculine side to gain politic positions that weren't openly available to women. The character design was inspired by a Swedish actor named Björn Andrésen, who became widely known as a child actor for being "the most beautiful boy in the world", due to looking extremely feminine with long blonde hair, while also wearing normal men's clothing.[8]
Characteristics
Dansou no reijin are female characters who are elegant and beautifully feminine, but also cross-dress in men's clothing giving them the beauty of both a man and a woman.[9]
Although they dress as a man, they are a woman in mind and body. The reason they choose to dress in men's clothing can be different for each person. but they may just simply like the way it looks or feels. Some women may not feel comfortable wearing revealing dresses, so they might choose to wear a suit instead. Others may dress as a man to hide their more feminine appearance for several reasons.
While wearing men's clothing, they may appear more androgynous in appearance, especially if they have shorter hair or tuck their hair away, but they also have a side where they are beautifully feminine. Those who look entirely like men and don't have the appearance of a beautiful woman do not fall under this type.
Similar Japanese Archetypes
- Bishounen: A term for a male character with traditionally feminine physical beauty traits who is portrayed as beautifully masculine.
- Ikemen Joshi: A term for a grown female character who possesses traits typically considered attractive in men, including handsome facial features, a cool masculine demeanor, simple clean fashion, and a moderately muscular toned body, while also having the appearance of a beautiful woman and having a feminine charm that makes them popular with both men and women.
- Josou Danshi: A term for a male character who cross-dresses in women's clothing. It is the exact inverse of dansou no reijin.
- Nantaika: A term for a female character who is magically transformed into a male.
- Orekko: A term for a female character who is very masculine and strong-willed.
- Otenba Musume: A term for a female tomboy character who is energetic and has a boyish personality.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Rae Taylor and Claire François from I'm in Love with the Villainous  Rae Taylor and Claire François from I'm in Love with the Villainous  Haruka Tenou from Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon  Utena Tenjou from Shoujo Kakumei Utena  Kasumi Miwa from Jujustu Kaisen  Akira Kenjou from Kirakira☆Precure A La Mode |
References
- ↑ What is Dansou no Reijin?. Pixiv Encyclopedia (2023/08/22). “A beautiful woman dressed as a man. Although she is dressed as a man, she is a woman in mind and body.”
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 What is a Dansou no Reijin?. Kotobank. “The strong and long-lasting influence of Kabuki on Japanese cinema gave birth to many period films, but along with the chambara stars, the tradition of onna-gata (the art of the female actor), as typified by Kazuo Hasegawa, was carried on, giving rise to masterpieces such as "Yukinojo Changes". The term "dansou no reijin" was also coined (writer Shofu Muramatsu is said to have first used this term in a novel featuring Yoshiko Kawashima), and it became a common term for stars of the Takarazuka Revue and other theaters. The expression "a good man like a woman" was clearly alive and well before World War II.”
- ↑ Dansou no Reijin - Biography of Yoshiko Kawashima. Amazon.
- ↑ Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy. Columbia University (1984/01/01).
- ↑ Dansou no Reijin: Kawashima Yoshiko no Shougai. IMDB (2008/12/06).
- ↑ Bifauxnen. TVTropes (2023/11/09). “Masculine female characters who resemble pretty, androgynous boys. They are faux Bishōnen. Swooned over by confused females as much as outright lesbians. Sometimes in the episode they're introduced, they're confused for men until the other characters recognize and treat them as girls. Interestingly, most versions are Prince Charming types and overwhelmingly good characters. Bifauxnen are — from an artistic standpoint — everything that is positive about masculinity while not losing anything fundamentally female. The major distinction between them and straight-up tomboys is a direct and neat association with elegance and style. Straight-up tomboys are often associated with playfulness and immaturity but are still clearly female. Bifauxnen have some sense of femininity most straight-up tomboys lack. In reality, the ubiquity of the Bifauxnen archetype in Japanese media can likely be traced back to the influence of the Takarazuka Revue.”
- ↑ The Politics of Androgyny in Japan. University of Michigan.
- ↑ Björn Andrésen on being "The Most Beautiful Boy in the World". Dazed (2021/07/30). “Not only did Death in Venice transform Andrésen into a 16-year-old superstar in Japan, but Andrésen’s youthful, photogenic face inspired an entire wave of manga artists. Riyoko Ikeda, a celebrity in the shōjo manga world, started writing and illustrating The Rose of Versailles in 1972; her character, Lady Oscar, a girl who dresses as a boy, was entirely based on Andrésen’s depiction of Tadzio. Other bishounen figures in manga are widely speculated to be directly mimicking Andrésen’s teen aesthetic.”
- ↑ Both Beautiful and Manly? A Special Feature for Dansou no Reijin!. Otaku Republic (2017/03/17). “This character is Cure Chocolat who appeared in KIRAKIRA ☆ PRECURE A LA MODE last week. “That’s right! She’s so manly as a woman! So handsome...!! Right after the episode was aired on Sunday, KIRAKIRA ☆ PRECURE A LA MODE has got so much attention and become so popular with more and more fans saying ‘So handsome!’ or ‘So manly!’ here in Japan!” Her voice actor is even from Takarazuka Revue Company, which is a Japanese opera company that ‘consists of only single women’. In Japan, since actresses from Takarazuka Revue Company have the image of ‘being manly actresses who can even perform men’s’ role’, she’s the best casting for her. We hardly see this kind of beautiful women who look like men in reality but we express such people as【Dansou no Reijin (男装の麗人)】（beautiful woman dressed as a man / crossdressing woman）in anime or manga world!” Both Beautiful and Manly? Here is a Special Feature for Dansou no Reijin!””
| v • eAndrogynous Archetypes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female |
Bokukko ♡ Dansou no Reijin ♡ Ikemen Joshi ♡ Orekko ♡ Otenba Musume ♡ Otoko Masari | |
| Male |
Bishounen ♡ Josou Danshi ♡ Okama ♡ Otokonoko ♡ Nekama | |
| Both | ||