Идея моногамии и семейные отношения в Японии периода Мэйдзи

Abstract

During the Meiji period, the family came to be seen as the basis of a new type of centralized state. Such a state needed a new family of increased strength. A great innovation in the family discourse of the Meiji period was the focus on the monogamous family. The idea of monogamy as a moral imperative was introduced into public discourse by Mori Arinori. In the ruling house, the idea of monogamy found strong support. During the Tokugawa period, divorce was commonplace, but as a result of persistent propaganda, the number of divorces in Japan dropped dramatically: in 1889 it was 3.39 per thousand, but after only ten years it fell to 1.53 and tended to decrease. If earlier a third of marriages ended in divorce, now this figure has dropped to one eighth. The Civil Code of 1898 defined the basic characteristics of the Japanese family as a monoga­mous and patriarchal entity for many years to come. Those people who con­demned such family shape turned out to be in the desperate minority and were unable to give an adequate rebuff to the totalitarianism that was gaining strength, the grass roots of which was formed by a monogamous patriarchal family.