著者

鹿島 あゆこ

出版者

奈良女子大学社会学研究会

雑誌

奈良女子大学社会学論集 (ISSN:13404032)

巻号頁・発行日

no.28, pp.1-18, 2021-03-31

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The period of rapid economic growth from the 1950s to the early 1970s in Japan was a time when a style of social life, called 'Salaryman (Japanese office worker)' was standardized and became a central model for many male persons in Japan. This paper clarifies the transformation of the salaryman image that took place during that period through a famous manga titled Sazae-san (serialized in Asahi Shinbun from 1949 to 1973), which has helped to popularize it. From the 6087 episodes of Sazae-san, I extracted 3021 in which three male salaryman characters appear: they are Namihei, Masuo, and Norisuke. Through analyzing the 3021 episodes, I have identified three different stages in the formation process of the salaryman image. In the first stage (till around the middle of 1950s), the manga depicted the family life as the pleasant central aspect of salaryman's social life. In the second stage (till around the middle of the 1960s), the manga described the salaryman as a stable employee, who able to purchase massproduced consumer goods and to enjoy them together with his family as well. At the same time, the manga clearly presents that the salaryman could no longer maintain his prestige in the family if his income were not enough to cover such expenses. In the third stage (till around the early 1970s), the manga depicted the salaryman's life as follows. That is, family life became a hollow one in which only his consumer life could satisfy his ownone's desires., At the same time, the working life came to the fore in the salaryman's social life. The position in consumption life and working life became major elements for male employee's identity d worker. That was the very fulfilment moment of the 'middle-class salaryman' in Japan.