The women who occupied urban areas were called chonin. The chonin women of Japan usually worked alongside their husbands. However, if the work included heavy lifting or manual labor, the women were not allowed to complete tasks such as these alongside the men. This rule was set for all social classes. Women who lived in the urban areas were typically placed as maids, waitresses for various reasons, and entertainment sources. The greatest work a chonin woman could do is work for a samurai family, doing so they are seen as very desirable and pure.

However, most of the women in Ancient Japan were peasants (being almost 90% of females.) No matter the gender, peasants were often in poverty and life was difficult. Peasant women were in charge of harvesting, planting, and transplanting rice seedlings. However, when economic failures and difficulties in the countryside occurred, young peasant women could be sold into a prostitution agreement, and families would profit on the daughter's earnings.

Despite the tedious tasks of some classes of workers, all women of all social classes wore kimonos or kosode robes (almost like a short-sleeved kimono.) These dress-resembling garments could be layered to show significance, but because of the working, it is most likely the clothing was worn with only one layer of the needed pieces. Although all women wore kimonos, only the wealthiest of women in Ancient Japan carried parasols (a type of flat-wing umbrella to prevent sun tanning), combs, tweezers, makeup, and handkerchiefs. They were also known to wear flowers and accessories in their hair.

Key Moments: 5:25 or 7:40

The kofun originally started as natural, circular mounds of soil that had a stone-lined chamber that contained the deceased member. However, the mound shape changed size to look similar to a keyhole, surrounded often by canals.

The burial grounds can be small (15? meters in diameter), but others are quite large. The largest are burial sites for leaders and emperors, such as Emperor Ojin or Emperor Nintoku.