Hi Celina!

I enjoyed reading your post! I agree with you that there is definitely a link between the roles of Ayako and Kikue within the context of imperial Japan - that they both heavily supported their family and nation-state. I think that although the roles of imperial femininity and imperial masculinity were very different, they both tied into focusing on supporting the nation-state, which in turn contributed to support towards the Emperor (emphasized in "The Ways of Subjects").