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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2013 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award. The famous ryōsai kenbo or ‘good wife, wise mother’ role of Japanese women was, in fact, not a traditional Confucian view but a modern construct – its first appearance in Japan being the latter half of the nineteenth century. Girls at the time were proud to fulfill their new role of contributing to not just the family but to the formation of the state. Koyama’s discovery has transformed how we see modern women’s history in Japan and East Asia as a whole.
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2013 Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award Shizuko (Kyoto Univ., Japan) has produced a major contribution to the study of modern Japanese women. Originally published in Japanese in 1991, this important work has now been brought into crystal-clear English by Stephen Filler. There is much to admire in this book. First, the argument is invariably laid out with great clarity, careful distinctions among categories, and sensitivity to seemingly small adjustments in nuance that nonetheless produce major changes over time. Second, the author provides clear and easily accessible explanations of the ways in which the meaning of the key phrase of the title has gradually evolved, as Japanese national experience moved through 150 years since the Meiji Revolution. Rather than falling into the many traps available for overgeneralization, Shizuko instead shows with sharp and clear examples how one or another steps led toward what became evolving new directions. This clarity is remarkable in its readability, and makes a convincing case for the author's argument. It is not too much to claim that this is a very important contribution not only to Japanese gender history, but also to the worldwide struggle for improved relationships between men and women. Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries. - R. B. Lyman Jr., emeritus, Simmons College [This review appeared in the June 2013 issue of Choice. Copyright 2013 American Library Association]
Table of ContentsPreface to the English Edition ... vii Preface ... xi List of Tables ... xv List of Key Words ... xvii Introduction: Approach to the Issues ... 1 1 The Formation of Ryōsai Kenbo Thought ... 11 1. The View of Women in Edo-Period Instructional Texts for Girls (Jokunsho) ... 12 2. “Wise Mother” Theory in the Meiji Enlightenment Period ... 21 3. The Emergence of Ryōsai Kenbo Thought ... 35 2 Ryōsai Kenbo Thought and the Public Education System ... 53 1. The Emergence of a Discourse on “Home Education” ... 54 2. Home Education and the Public Education System ... 60 3 The Causes of Change ... 75 1. The Emergence of the “Woman Problem” ... 76 2. The Shock of World War I ... 89 4 The Reconfiguration of Ryōsai Kenbo Thought ... 97 1. The Reform of Girls’ Education ... 98 2. A New Image of Ryōsai Kenbo ...120 3. Revision of the Girls’ Middle School Act ...137 5 The Evolution of the Concept of Ryōsai Kenbo in Morality Textbooks ...157 1. Morality Textbooks up to 1911 ... 158 2. Morality Textbooks between 1912 and 1920 ... 165 3. Morality Textbooks between 1921 and 1932 ... 168 Epilogue: The Meaning of Ryōsai Kenbo Thought ... 181 Appendix 1: List of Morality Textbooks (Shūshin Kyōkasho) Consulted for this Study ... 187 Bibliography ... 193 Index of Persons ... 211 Index of Subjects ... 215
