This study compares the figure of the Japanese housewife at the End of the Meiji era with the figure of the British housewife of the same period. The author clarified the role of the housewife whose clothes reflected the image of a good wife and wise mother. The magazine Fujin Sekai and other English magazines and books were referred to for this purpose.
The appearance of the Japanese housewife was modeled after the “ideal” British housewife, which was intended to please the husband. In addition, a housewife was required to be sociable. However, the role of hostess was not required of the Japanese housewife, unlike the British housewife, among families. The home was one's personal domain in Japan. Therefore, the Japanese housewife was not able to have connections with society. Although the Japanese housewife was fashioned in the image of the British housewife, there were essential differences between them in the clothes they wore.
