Kiyoshi FUKAWA

Department of Social Environment

ABSTRACT

　　The purpose of this thesis is to clarify Japanese women's ethical ideas on education from the Meiji Restoration to Aug.15 1945( the end of the Second World War ).
　　In Japan, education had been thought to be unnecessary for women until the middle of Meiji. After that, the Japanese women had been encouraged to study in order to become useful women for their country so far as they are concerned with having children and sustaining their husbands as strong soldiers for Japan. This education was called as an education for making good wives and wise mothers.
　　 Most Japanese women who had studied for their own purpose in the beginning of Meiji gradually began to study in earnest for their country influenced with the nationalistic education since the twenties of Meiji.
　　The originality of this thesis are as follows.
(1) to study first the Japanese women's ethical ideas on education in modern Japan.
(2) to point out that the educational ideas of the Japanese Government early in the Meiji era was influenced with the educational characteristic seen among popular people in the Edo era.
(3) to find out many Japanese women who had earnestly studied believing that education was quite necessary for them by introducing many unexplored materials.