本文旨在探索日本女性從近世武家「女訓」轉向近代「女國民」修身的「女德」意識轉化中，如何被一些熱衷推動武士道的學者或政治人物，有意建構「日本人應有的女德形象」之需求，將「武士道」的忠勇愛國形象，也強加到女性身上，達到全國男女為國效忠的目的。本文首先在第二節追溯「女德」在近世多元真實的養成教育，次於第三節考察明治維新以後「女德」被建構的解釋與形像，並於第四節分析戲劇與小說涉及的「女武士」或「女德」形像與特質，企圖呈現近代知識分子如何因應「國家」的需要，轉化與利用女德形像，並深思此一課題對當今日本女性地位轉變的現代意義。

This paper is aimed at investigating how Japanese women, who have undergone a transformation of consciousness from the “lessons for women” in warrior families in the early modern period to “women of virtue” as “female citizens” in modern times, were conceptualized as “women of virtue” by scholars and politicians advocating Bushido. Women were also forced to adhere to the tenets of loyalty and patriotism espoused by the code of Bushido in order to fulfill the goal of having every man and woman swear loyalty and devotion to the nation. Chapter II explores various ways “women of virtue” were raised and educated in the early modern period in Japan. Chapter III investigates how “women of virtue” were viewed and conceptualized after the Meiji Restoration. Chapter IV analyzes images and characteristics of “female samurai” and “women of virtue” in Japanese plays and novels. This paper intends to show how intellectuals coped with national interests to transform and manipulate the image of “women of virtue.” Based on these findings, the modern meaning of the transformation of the status of women in Japan is explored.