Divorce in Japan: Family, Gender, and the State, 1600-2000 (Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University)

"Historians have paid little attention to divorce in Japan, even though until the mid-twentieth century Japan had one of the highest divorce rates in the world. This book shows that the high prevalence of divorce was made possible by a regulatory framework condoning consensual divorce. Spouses and their families were usually free to negotiate dissolution with little interference from public authorities. Only in the rare cases of intractable conflict did parties seek legal adjudication, a situation that holds true to this day. Despite the institutional and ideological continuities over four centuries the perception and practice of divorce have been transformed in adapting to new social roles for men and women, changing views of marriage and parenting, and changes in intergenerational relations. Married couples across all social groups have more control over initiating and terminating their marriage than ever before. Wives now have the same legal rights to sue for divorce as their husbands. The author shows, however, that not all changes have been to the women's advantage, nor were traditional practices as detrimental to women as is often assumed."--Jacket Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page xiii) Note on Japanese Names (page xv) 1. The Forgotten History of Japanese Divorce (page 1) 2. For the Sake of the House: Edo-Period Patterns, Perceptions, and Precedents (page 18) 3. Testing a Spouse: The Trial Marriage System (page 47) 4. Unsuitable to the Family Tradition? Popular Divorce Customs in the 1870s (page 75) 5. Between French Law and Japanese Customs: Codifying Divorce in Meiji Japan (page 100) 6. When Marriage Was on the Rise: Declining Divorce Rates, 1898-1940 (page 119) 7. Forward to the Past: A Historical Perspective on Japanese Divorce After World War II (page 144) Appendix (page 169) Notes (page 175) Bibliography (page 211) Index (page 223) The Forgotten History Of Japanese Divorce -- For The Sake Of The House : Edo-period Patterns, Perceptions, And Precedents -- Testing A Spouse : The Trial Marriage System -- Unsuitable To The Family Tradition? : Popular Divorce Customs In The 1870s -- Between French Law And Japanese Customs : Codifying Divorce In Meiji Japan -- When Marriage Was On The Rise : Declining Divorce Rates, 1898-1940 -- Forward To The Past : A Historical Perspective On Japanese Divorce After World War Ii. Harald Fuess. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [211]-222) And Index. A social, legal, and intellectual history of divorce in Japan over the last four centuries, during much of which Japan had one of the highest divorce rates in the world.