The Japanese Family As An Indicator Of Social Change In The Postwar Era

THE JAPANESE FAMILY AS AN INDICATOR OF SOCIAL CHANGE IN THE POSTWAR ERA According to Imamura on page 76 of “Family Culture,” “few [societies] are as consciously aware of family systems” as Japan’s. The postwar family continues to be shaped by the prewar ie system in regards to its organization, ideological underpinnings, and relationships between members. However, economically-driven developments and a growing acceptance of alternative lifestyles are changing the Japanese family in unique ways while reflecting changes in Japanese society itself. The Japanese ie (household unit), codified in the Meiji period, forms the basis for the modern family system. Traditionally, a male head managed household finances and members while his shufu...

Sources Of Stability And Decline In Tokugawa Japan

SOURCES OF STABILITY AND DECLINE IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN The Tokugawa period (1600-1868) in Japan was marked by unprecedented peace following decades of nearly continuous warfare during the Sengoku period (1467-1573) (Gordon 11). The Tokugawa bakufu quickly moved to bolster social order by implementing harsh restrictions, including limits on provincial daimyo, unequal social class mobility, and interactions with foreigners, which would eventually serve as significant sources of its decline. The main internal cause of the breakdown of the Tokugawa regime, according to “The Meiji Revolution,” “was its unmoving order... amidst a shifting socioeconomic foundation.” Peace in Tokugawa Japan was made possible in part by a forcible weakening of provincial...

Balancing “Native” And “Foreign” Elements In Ancient Japan

BALANCING "NATIVE" AND "FOREIGN" ELEMENTS IN ANCIENT JAPAN Even with Japan’s geographical isolation, a significant amount of beliefs, ideas, and culture from China and Korea have become crucial components of Japanese civilization. However, as noted by Varley on page 57, “[Japan] did not slavishly copy Chinese [and Korean] civilization; some important institutions... were considerably remodeled.” The Japanese have selectively reshaped cultural borrowings to produce uniquely native traditions, as shown by the integration of written language, religion, and bureaucratic institutions from the Asian mainland. When Korean scholars introduced the Chinese writing system to the Japanese at the beginning of the fifth century, Japanese civilization...