The Improvement of Society and Home in the Late Meiji Era and The “Middle Class”: The Example Toshihiko Sakai in Yorozu-Choho and Katei-Zasshi.

Abstract

  The studies on history of social education have paid attention to the new middle class in cities in the Taisho and the early Showa era, especially to the positive attitudes of the class toward cultural activities, or thought and practices of social education aimed at the class. I insist that the prototypes of these ideas and practices were formed in the late Meiji era. As examples of those prototypes, I describe in this paper Toshihiko Sakai's thoughts and practice on the improvement of society and home in the 1900s.

  Sakai presented “proposals for improvement of customs” in Yorozu-Choho. These proposals were written to enlighten the “chuto-shakai” (the middle class). He insisted that a “sound middle class” was the motivational force for social development. It was not uncommon in that era to insist that the “middle class” played a leading role of social development, but Sakai's thinking had originality because he linked enlightenment for the “middle class” and improvement of daily customs.

  On the other hand, Sakai presented “improvement of home” in Katei-no-Shinfumi(The New Taste of Home), and Katei-Zasshi(The Journal for Home), based on the family model in which a housewife should do all the housework. His idea of “improvement of home” was a prototype of the movement for improvement of living which aimed at the new middle class in cities in the Taisho and early Showa era.