本文主旨在探討十九世紀以來出現在日本的身體與美的新意識──即筆者所謂「身體改革」──的現象。直到十八世紀末葉，日本民眾仍認為他們與生俱來的身體儘管費多大功夫，都是不可能改變的。相對而言，女性被教導應當在人類本質基本是善的審美規範下，改善她們的道德特質。然而，一種新的觀念在十八紀紀末葉開始盛行起來。 藉著化妝和藥品把身體造得更有價值是其中一種想法，這種身體改革的想法，普及於平民女性是十九世紀前後的社會的現象。這在江戶時乏後期的經濟發展和都市社會的成熟得到明證，例如女性教育程度的提高、都市女性勞動人口的增加、自我意識的形成，以及隨著這些女性的訬化化妝品業界之成長、作為化妝情報媒體的媒介之展開等。 另一方面，追求更具價值的身體一事與徹底管理自己的身體結合在一起，進而出現了各式各樣的扭曲現象。通俗小說和浮世繪正好自十九世紀初期開始描繪藉喝醋來減肥的市井女性們。就如同《都風俗化妝傳》所教導的，如果美貌和健康、心正一致時為佳，不合乎美標準的胖身材所暗示的是，不健康的氣血阻塞和心不正的負面形象，因此節食被正當化了。 總而言之，平民女性一面接受醫療與化妝品業界的意見和大量的美容訊息的攻勢，另一面以自己的意志，將自己的身體改造得更有價值。十九世紀初期《都風俗化妝傳》與《容顏美艷考》這兩本化妝書的問世象徵了這種新的身體認識與美容時代的到來。

　　　　　This paper aims to discuss the emergence of a new consciousness of body and beauty at the beginning of the nineteenth century in Japan, which I call "body fashioning". UP to the latter part of the eighteenth century, people thought that they could not change the figures they were born with, even with much effort. In contrast, women were taught that they could improve their moral character under the ethical doctrine that human nature is fundamentally good. Women's guidebooks strongly chastised the tendency of wealthy men to choose their wives on good looks, and emphasized that greater weight should be placed on faithfulness. A new turn in this idea was appearing in the later part of the eighteenth century. In 1769, Tokyo tsuyabunko, a practice book for women, considered virtue and figure equally important for women, and they could become attractive by their efforts. It urged that the women who fashioned their looks were wise, because they gained opportunities to marry into rich families by their efforts. There was a clear line between it and the former books because of its suggestion that physical appearance can and should be changed. A book called Miyako fuzoku kewai-den took a positive attitude towards body fashioning. It began with the phrase "like jewels, women cannot shine without polishing," and assured that every woman could become beautiful if she mastered the techniques of make-up and dressing prescribed in the book. Furthermore, it declared that polishing up one's appearance promoted virtue. Beautiful women, it held, have beautiful minds, and by this logic it justified marriage on the basis of physical attractiveness. The book taught how to compensate the shortcomings of each part of the face by managing make-up and hairstyle. Miyako fuzoku kewai-den was also involved in the great amount of information on how to created a fair complexion by applying ointment, facial packs and massage. This type of care promoted circulation and refreshed the blood and qi, because a good circulation was key to a fair complexion. Health, in short, was the foundation of beauty. This idea connected body fashioning as extending from the outside to the inside of the body. It prescribed massage not only for the face but also for the whole body, because good circulation of blood and qi also created slender and graceful fingers, arms and legs like ukiyoe beauties. At the same time, the linkage of health and beauty leads to the recognition the women could not become beautiful without changing their bodies. The idea of body fashioning and the union of health and beauty also accounted for the popularity of medicated cosmetics from the end of the eighteenth century. Drug stores sold medicated cosmetics for women and other drugs such as tonics and voice medicine for improving one's voice. People liked to take these medicines, even if they were not suffering from any illness. From the end of the eighteenth century, everyone pursued the dream of body fashioning; a new consciousness concerning beauty and body thus came into existence.