日本の明治時代 –女のへんせん

Japan’s Meiji Era – A Woman’s Change

 Meiji Era
The Meiji Era is……
• The 45 year period where the Meiji Emperor
reigned (Oct. 23rd 1868 – July 30th 1912)
• Meiji Jidai 「明治時代」means Enlightened
Rule which references new advances in
technology and culture after years of isolation
from outside and foreign influences
• It’s the period of Japan’s major modernization
and rising influence/world power
 Meiji Era…
Brought about new technology/concepts…. Some positive…..

Institutions
Universities were founded
National Post System
Educational Systems
French/Prussian trained police Infrastructure
force
Western based social
structures
Shipping industry was
overhauled and improved
Tangible
Railroad systems
Telegraph lines
Textile manufacturing
Western clothing
Western weaponry was
imported and implemented
 …..And some negative.
Taxes on farmers increased due to the need
for urban development which caused
confusion and anger.

The bloody tax which demanded

Meiji Policies mandatory military service

Produced some of these: Harsh working conditions for lower class

citizens

General mistrust of Western culture and

influences

Gender roles were stratified even further

 This led to….
• In 1871, the Meiji Emperor
ordered that Western clothing
must be worn by high officials
during business hours
• Women would also follow this
trend and wear Western
clothing
 Japanese Women
And their clothing
• Would wear Western clothing
in public and changing into
traditional clothing at home
• Discovered that Western
clothing was not suitable to
Japanese living style
– Dresses were impractical for
sitting on tatami flooring
– Western shoes were hard to
use when following the custom
of removing shoes in a building
 Kimono
• Japanese women would still
wear kimono
– Material would vary in weight,
type, and design according to the
seasons
– The cloth was cut into eight pieces
– The colors and design would
describe a complex message
system
• Bright colors: reserved for youth
• Subtle colors: reserved for more
mature
 Hair
• In 1872, the Emperor cut
off the topknot and
started to grow Western
style facial hair
• Women would often
wear Victorian hair styles
with traditional kimono
or a Western dress
Examples of Meiji
Era clothing:
Lady in waiting Married woman Middle
Royal army officer
ranking official
 Gender Roles

• During the Meiji Era,

gender roles were
redefined following more
Western standards
• Many were outlined in the
Imperial Constitution and
other legal documents
• Women would face harder
segregation compared to
the Tokugawa Era
 Meiji Constitution
• In 1889, the Imperial
Constitution provided the
definition of a “family” with
father as head of household
• Polygamy was allowed: one
husband, many wives, and
all children were considered
a single family unit
• Women, men, and children
were segregated into “rigid
roles” in the traditional
family
 Females in Meiji Japan
• The Meiji Renovation removed
females from government roles
and reaffirmed the power of
the men
• Government provided programs
educating women on how to be
good wives
• In 1889, females were denied
voting rights
• Women could not join political
parties under the Law of
Assembly and Political
Assembly
 An additional problem….
• “The role of Japanese women also
suffered an image problem of a
different kind. Westerners fell in love
with the stereotype of a docile,
selfless, beautiful, charming and
obedient sex, which failed to address
the inner lives of Japanese women or
their own views on the role they
played in society. This kind of willful
misunderstanding later followed
Japanese immigrants to America and
plagued relations between the two
countries for a very long period of
time.”
 Just for fun…
Meiji in modern times
Ironically, most of the
The Meiji era was the set for the
female cast did not
popular manga, Rurouni Kenshin
follow the traditional
るろうに剣心
female character and
persona that the
Meiji government
encouraged.

There is a shrine in Shibuya,

Tokyo that is called the “Meiji This was a shrine
Shrine” dedicated to the death of
the Emperor Meiji and
his wife and they were
enshrined in 1920.
And the most well known….
The Last Samurai
•Took place during the
Meiji era in the year 1876

•Actor Shichinosuke is
credited as playing the
Meiji Emperor

•The movie depicts the

similar desire and
eagerness of the emperor
to import as many Western
technologies and practices
in order to modernize
Japan
 In conclusion…
• Meiji era lead to new Western influences helped make
technologies and Japan a more modern country in the
institutions that helped Eastern part of Asia
paved a new road for
Clothing was one major example of a
Japan mixture between East and West and
• Meiji policy also helped reflected in daily behavior and routine
re-shift gender roles and
define new boundaries for
men and women
• Legal documentation told
a woman what should
could do, what she could
not do, and what her
exact duties were