일본사회에 있어서 공·사영역의 역사적 전개와 여성

The Division of the 'Public' and the 'Private' Spheres in Japanese Society : History and Implications for Women

This study is to survey how the division of the public and the private has unfolded in the historical context of Japanese society and how it has influenced the lives of Japanese women in connection with the patriarchy. By doing that, I hope to contribute to the understanding of the way the division of public and private spheres reinforce the patriarchal oppression of women. In Japan, the division of the public and the private was first introduced from China in connection with the importation of the Legal System(Ritsuryo-sei) between mid seventh and early eighth century. At that time, Japanese people adopted the Chinese concept of the public sphere as related to the government and the private sphere as outside of the government. However, Japan's concept of the public and the private spheres differed from that of China in many ways. In particular, Japan's legal system declined dramatically over the years and a new era arrived in the late twelfth century, which historians call the Medieval Period. In medieval Japan, the military class functioned as both public and private power. As a result, the public in medieval Japan was multiplized and localized. However, with the establishment of the unified rule of the Tokugawa Bakufu, the public sphere was once again monopolized by the sole authority of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In sum, although the division of public and private in premodern Japan changed over the periods, it continued to revolve around the relationship between the governing and the governed. The division of the public and the private in premodern Japan has had serious impacts on the lives of Japanese women. In particular, while adopting the legal system, Japanese society also imported other Chinese elements like the patriarchal social order and concepts. In fact, ancient China's legal and political systems were inextricably interconnected with the patriarchy. As a result, Japanese society began to adopt the practices of Chinese patriarchy. The establishment of Japanese patriarchy has serious impact on women. First of all, their economic rights were restricted, eventually depriving them of all the rights. Also, their political role was severely curtailed, being prohibited from government posts. Patriarchal control of Japanese women reached the highest point during the Tokugawa period when the social hierarchy and Confucian ethics were firmly in place. Since the late nineteenth century, however, Japanese society has experienced far-reaching changes through Westernization. Western concepts influenced the division of the public and the private, too. In particular, modern Japan was first introduced to the notion of the inviolable rights of the individual and the superiority of the private sphere over the public sphere. Because of the obvious differences between the traditional and the Western concepts, modern Japan struggled to find a balance between the two. In particular, modern Japan rejected the individualistic and liberal concepts of Western societies. In sum, modern Japan's concept of the public and the private retains strong influences of the traditional concept. However, modern Japan did not reject the way Western patriarcy reinforced itself in the process of industrialization and stregthened its control over women. In Japan, changes in legal codes resulted in the reinforcement of men's control over women. In particular, the head of the family was endowed with extensive rights over the family members including his wife, mother, and daughters. Also, women's activities were mostly confined to the domestic chores, while men monopolized governmental and non-government jobs. It is true that modernization widened social chances for some women. In a few cases in which women were allowed outside of the house, however, their functions were mostly manual and temporary. Also, education for women did not usually result in long-term career jobs, while education for men meant promising careers. In other words, women