The Changing Japanese Family Structure: an Analysis of Present and Past Practices

Today, Japan is regarded as one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world. Although Japan has become increasingly modern, its traditions have not been forgotten. One author argues that “in actuality, Japan is not nearly as modern as it presents itself; the essence of Japanese society is an integration of both modernity and tradition” (Kumagai, 1996). With the integration of both modernity and tradition, some traditional practices are lost as the new generation becomes increasing detached from traditions. The actions of the characters in Tokyo Story, Fuji, Ants Swarm, and Family Game represent the changing family structure that is completely dissimilar from traditional times.

The foundation of the contemporary Japanese family relies upon the feudal concept of “ie,” which is translated as “stem family” (Kumagai, 15). It is specifically defined as “a vertically composite form of nuclear families, one from each generation” (15). One can also interpret ie to mean “the household characterized as a corporate body of coresidents, each performing his or her role to maintain it (15). It can be concluded from these definitions that the ie structure relies heavily on the duties of each family member as well as the existence of male offspring, the key to the continuation of the family line from one generation to another. The importance of the male offspring was lost in Ants Swarm.

In Ants Swarm, a young couple (Fumiko, the woman, and Matsuda, the man) is preparing to study in the United States. Prior to leaving, the reader learns that the only precaution that couple used to avoid having children was monitoring the regularity of Fumiko’s periods. The couple was always fearful of getting pregnant, but used lax measures to address the issue. This fear was especially evident with Fumiko who “had never once wanted to have a child or her own” (Takaru, 171). In the couple’s situation, they are overly preoccupied with their own lives to even think about having a child. The story mentions that the two worked at unpredictable hours and sometimes the couple never saw each other. To work so much that one may not get the chance to see his or her loved one supports the emphasis of personal success in Japanese culture. This emphasis of personal success has shadowed the importance of “ie.” If it were not for the Fumiko’s accidental conception, ie would have been lost. After Matsuda learned of the possibility of having a child, his attitude changed from not wanting a child to wanting one. The concept of ie revived itself in Matsuda. This was especially apparent when the couple starts speaking about Fumiko having to stay in Japan to give birth to the child. During that conversation, Matsuda assumes that the baby will be a boy. He says that “he’ll be the apple of my eye. You just see how many presents I buy him” (173). Considering that the story was written in 1964, Matsuda’s mentality was typical of the day. The dissatisfaction of having a girl in a Japanese family was noticeable and surprising when the mother conveyed her disgust to the idea. Fumiko mentions that she “might spoil a boy, but if it’s a girl, I’ll just be mean and cruel—I’ll be so cruel, people will think I’m her stepmother (176). The importance to having male offspring was accidentally reignited in a couple that was overly occupied with their own lives to care about the future.

The modern Japanese family dynamics no longer mimics the “hierarchical-vertical” that was found in the traditional ie (Kumagai, 24). Analyzing the filial violence in Japan reveals two patterns of family interaction: “unintegrated conjugal relationships and the psychological absence of the father in the family” (24). The continued lack of real companionship between the father and the mother is believed to be the cause of unbalanced relations in the family. This lack of interaction between the father and mother has resulted with strengthened relationships between the mother and the children. This has resulted with distant interactions between the father and his children and increased “benefits” for the mother. With the introduction of modern technology, mothers have been devoting most of their time to child rearing (24). One would think that the mother’s increased time with her children would be a good thing, but it is not the case. The mother’s increased time spent with her children has lead to mother’s becoming overprotective and overindulgent of their children. Also, mothers become overly obsessed with education to the point where mothers end up paying less attention to the “emotional nurturing” of their children (25). This motherly attitude as well as the distant relationship that modern Japanese fathers share with their children was especially evident in Family Game.

The main focus of Family Game was centered on the life of the youngest son, Shigeyuki. Shigeyuki was a product of the overprotective and overindulgent nature of his Japanese mother. In the film, we notice the mother being especially concerned whenever Shigeyuki came come from school with bruises to his face and when she made him coffee immediately when he asked for it. Also in the film, one notices the expensive items in Shinchi’s (the eldest son) room such as the telescope and the computer in his room. The overindulgent nature of the mother resulted with the lack of “emotional nurturing” mentioned by Kumagai. It was evident in the film that while the focus was shifted toward Shigeyuki testing into a good high school, Shinchi, who was characterized as the pride and joy of the family, was entering a very emotional state. There were many instances in the film where Shinchi looked completely detached from his family. This attitude was especially apparent after he learned that the girl that he had a crush on was actually seeing someone else. Shigeyuki also never had an emotional conversation with his mother. However, Shigeyuki was not as negatively affected by the lack of “emotional nurturing” as Shinchi was due to the social interaction he had with his tutor.

The detachment of the father in Family Game was evident when the father asked the mother about how his children were doing. This action was particularly unusual, especially coming from an American standpoint because one would simply ask their child how they were doing rather than hearing it from an intermediary. Throughout the film, one rarely sees the father interact with Shigeyuki and Shinchi. The only occurrence that I can remember of any sort of interaction between the father and the son was when the father told Shigeyuki at the dinner table where he would be going to school. This continuing behavior from Japanese fathers has lead to their deteriorating status as the authoritarian figure in the home (Kumagai, 25).

The detachment of the father from his family was clearly evident in Fuji. The story speaks about a father, Masami, who did not have the opportunity to attend college and his continuous curiosity to learn everything that he possibly could (Ayako, 19). This curiosity is what would ultimately lead to his detachment from his wife, Tamiko, who “had almost no interest in learning” (19). Masami would then apply for an opportunity to study at Fuji where he would attend a 4-year university and only be able to come home to visit once a month (20). His application was accepted and the detached Japanese father relationship with his children was created. Initially when Masami came home on his visits, his son Masayoshi would run away when he would try to hug him because he had “completely forgotten his father’s face” (21). To have one’s son not even recognize oneself must be one of the most terrible feelings in the world. The detachment of the father was not limited to the son, but was also present with his wife. Whenever Masami returned home, he became irritated with the gossip that Tamiko always talked about. The change in Masami’s relationship with his wife resulted with anger from both sides.

The traditional Japanese stem family system consists of multiple generations living under the same household. In 1992, the stem family existed in 13.1% of all Japanese households which is significantly less than the 37.5% of stem families that existed in 1955 and the 19.2% that existed in 1965 (Kumagai, 19). It is apparent that the traditional practice of the stem family is being phased out as the cost of living and the cost of homes with enough rooms to house relatives is increasing. The absence of the stem family system was particularly apparent in Tokyo Story.

In the movie Tokyo Story, one notices the detachment of grown-up children from their parents. The grandfather, Shukichi, and the grandmother, Tomi, live in Onomichi which is about 6 hours away from Tokyo where two of their four children and their widowed daughter-in-law live. Although one can argue that the professions of the children have caused them to leave their hometown of Onomichi, there is no argument to justify the cold welcome that the parents receive when they decide to visit Tokyo. During their visit to Koichi’s house (the eldest son who is also a doctor), he barely spends anytime with them because he is constantly working. However, when he was not working, he opts out of spending time with his parents and talks with his sister, Shige (who is a hairdresser) about sending their parents to a cheap hot spring for a night. The idea initially sounded great, but the entire experience was miserable for the old couple. They were given a room in a hotel that had younger people living there. The young people were loud and rowdy throughout the night and the old couple was unable to sleep. One of the major concepts in the ie system is filial piety which is a Confucian ideal that signifies the respect that all members of the family should have for their elders and ancestors (Kumagai, 16). This idea of filial piety was clearly lost during the parent’s visit. Surprisingly enough, the only person that demonstrated filial piety was the widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko, whom the grandparents initially disregarded. Filial piety was also inexistent when the grandparents attempted to greet their grandchild who initially ran away from them. The loss of the stem family system in Tokyo Story has contributed to this loss of filial piety as well as the detachment of the children from their parents.

The changing structure of the family from old traditions to modern practices was not seen as a step forward, but as a step back. The lack of importance set on the ie system has resulted with couples fixated on working for themselves and not thinking about the future. The continuing lack of presence of the father figure in the household has lead not only to increased authority of the mother in the household, but also detachment of the father from his children. This void is extremely important to address in that a son can only learn to be a man from their father. The lack of filial piety in modern families has resulted with significant disrespect toward elders. Japanese society must revise the integration of both modern and traditional values so that the traditional values that are the basis of Japanese culture are not forgotten.

Bibliography

Kumagai, Fumie. Unmasking Japan Today the Impact of Traditional values on Modern Japanese Society. Praeger, 1996.