Masuo-san

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The original meaning of Masuo-san is the name of a character who appears in Sazae-san, a famous Japanese comic. Masuo (Fuguta Masuo) is the husband of Fuguta Sazae, the heroine of the cartoon. He doesn't have any special ability or an extraordinary job. His most unusual circumstance is that he lives with Sazae's family; therefore, in Japan, a man who lives with his wife's family is sometimes called Masuo-san.

The patriarchy in Japan has receded recently accompanied by the increase of the number of nuclear families. Nevertheless, traditionally, it has been unusual for husbands to marry into their wives' families. Therefore, in cases like Masuo-san, the husband often has a special reason to do so, like economic resources.

Masuo-san usually attracts sympathy because he has to try to be nice to his wife's family, especially to her parents, although the cartoon portrays Fuguta Masuo as being naturally friendly with them.

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