Men in the Making

Abstract This article investigates the traits and expectations defining masculinity in contemporary Japan as depicted in parenting guidebooks on the upbringing of boys and male teens. Employing Raewyn Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, Pierre Bourdieu’s theories on “male habitus” and “heritage,” and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s ideas on the “homosocial continuum” and the “erotic triangle,” along with elaborations on transnational business masculinity and insights from Japanese masculinity scholars like Ishii-Kuntz Masako, Hidaka Tomoko, and Romit Dasgupta, the study conducts a qualitative discourse analysis of three Japanese guidebooks. It analyses the content as well as the arguments, communication strategies, and stylistic devices employed in these works to reveal contemporary understandings and ideals of masculinity in Japan. Furthermore, by relating these prevailing ideals to “salaryman masculinity,” this article evaluates how current portrayals of masculinity align with or diverge from the established norms of Japanese hegemonic masculinity, thereby offering insights into its potential evolution.