Acceptance of “Culture of Married Couples with the Same Surname” in Early Meiji Era as Revealed in Women’s Magazines

Abstract

This study analyzes women’s magazines published in the Meiji era regarding the acceptance of the cultural practices of married couples sharing the same surname. The following three points are discovered : First, before the official enactment of the Meiji Civil Code, married couples sharing the same surname were used in magazines that advocated Westernization as well as in official documents. Second, a debate occurred between those who defended the use of separate surnames from the perspective of gender equality and those who justified couples sharing the same surname, based on the fusion of modern Western family and “ie” norms. Third, although Meiji-era women’s magazines advocated the Westernization of the family system and the reduction of Chinese cultural influence, they did not claim that married couples using separate surnames were influenced by Chinese culture. In fact, Meiji political elites attributed the practice of married couples using separate surnames to Chinese cultural influences. Ultimately, the use of separate surnames was eliminated in the prevailing trend toward De-Sinicization and Westernization.