This study aims to describe the concept of home improvement in prewar and postwar Japan, in which householders maintained, repaired, and decorated their houses without the help of professionals, and how this image evolved over time. In prewar Japan, home improvement was called “Katei Kosaku (home craft)” and was recognized as an activity for women. However, in postwar Japan, given the admiration of the American way of life, it gradually changed to “Nichiyou Daiku (Sunday carpenter),” a masculine hobby based on the division of gender roles. This study examines the discourses of Joichi Kogure, Ryuji Katayama, and Yoshio Akioka, who led the home improvement movement in their respective eras, to show the changes in the subjects, social context, and gender behind home improvement.
