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Due to the ever-changing condition of the nation and its population, Japan’s history has been marked by never-ending conflict between the public and private sectors. ... After the Meiji Restoration in 1867, the rich and complex culture of Japan has continued to develop as the result of the struggle between the rise of cosmopolitanism and cultural nationalism. ... By the time of the Showa period, the Meiji Civil Code, which was so celebrated by people such as Fukuzawa Yukichi and Mori Arinori, had resulted in the creation of tension between the genders in Japanese society. These tensions are best illustrated by the novels, Kokoro and The Makioka Sisters, as well as by various other stories from the period.
The early Meiji Period was dominated by images of the proper gentleman and woman. Ideally, both ladies and gentlemen of the Meiji period were duty-bound to follow the Civil Code. The goal of this social contract was to maintain a way of life in Japan that would keep the nation on the same level as Western European countries. As the Showa period approached, it became clear that the Civil Code heavily favored men and allowed them far more freedom. Although a Meiji gentleman was expected to remain monogamous Fukuzawa noted that some of the men just could not control themselves. ... It was recorded in the Meiji Civil Code under the section pertaining to grounds for divorce, “The husband is not the child-bearer, and his lapse from virtue does not seriously affect the status of the home; while his wife’s sin actually destroys it. ... ” Despite the best intentions of the Meiji reformers, it was clear that they would not easily westernize a nation with such a distinctly Eastern culture that had remained so strong throughout the centuries.
The turn of the nineteenth century in Japan marked the beginning of the “Good Wife, Wise Mother” campaign. ... Although the Good Wife, Wise Mother ideology may have resembled those in Western Europe, as the Showa period approached, it became clear that it left Japanese women in positions of greater inequality than men. As stated by Nolte and Hastings in their essay, “The Western vision presumed a balance between public and private interests, but in Japan, by contrast, the state marched into the home to claim women for the state’s own purposes” (Bernstein 318).
Approximate Word count = 1767
Approximate Pages = 7.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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