Face Mask Legislation

As we take a closer look, we can perceive brass wires in this Meiji era mask. This brass wire is an integral part of these early masks and functions as an air filter. In later eras, the brass wire was replaced with a gauze sheet for better air filtration (in contemporary masks multiple gauze sheets are incorporated into the mask).

Face masks, like the one from the Meiji era (1868-1912), were originally devised to prevent the public from contracting and spreading viruses. Masks to protect the public's health first appeared on a large scale during the Spanish influenza (1918-1920), and became promoted as such (fig. 1). During the Spanish influenza, mask-wearing even became legislated for the first time by the government of Japan. This legislation of masks continued up until the 1950s, for instance during the Second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945) and Pacific War (1941-1945) (fig.2). Also, masks were increasingly used for hygiene matters, e.g. with regards to hygiene education at elementary and middle schools in the 1950s.