Does the term 大和撫子 predate WWII, or was there an equivalent term for the ideal Japanese lady?


Does the term
[「大和撫子」](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%84%E3%81%BE%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A7%E3%81%97%E3%81%93)for
describing the ideal Japanese lady predate WWII, or was there an equivalent
term before that?

These sites [here](http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/yamatonadeshiko.html) and
[here](http://etymologypage.blogspot.jp/2012/03/yamato-nadeshiko.html)
indicate that the term was co-opted for propaganda during WWII, but that seems
to imply that the term/concept existed before the wartime refashioning of it.
What is the origin of the phrase and when does it date from?

If it wasn't coined until WWII, what similar phrase was used before the war?




To summarize the answer given in
[holywise](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/25665/does-the-
term-%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E6%92%AB%E5%AD%90-predate-wwii-or-was-there-an-
equivalent-term-for-the-ideal-j#comment55664_25665)'s
[link](http://crd.ndl.go.jp/reference/detail?page=ref_view&id=1000089614):

Comparisons of women to the ナデシコ flower date back to the 万葉集 (8th century).
For example:

> 「うるはしみ我が思ふ君は **なでしこ** が花になそへて見れど飽かぬかも」（万20・4451）

The actual term 大和撫子 probably dates back to the 10th century, as attested in
e.g. the 古今和歌集:

> 「あなこひし今もみてしが山がつのかきほにさける **山となでしこ** 」

So, yes - the term 大和撫子 definitely predates WWII, by a lot.




To summarize the answer given in
[holywise](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/25665/does-the-
term-%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E6%92%AB%E5%AD%90-predate-wwii-or-was-there-an-
equivalent-term-for-the-ideal-j#comment55664_25665)'s
[link](http://crd.ndl.go.jp/reference/detail?page=ref_view&id=1000089614):

Comparisons of women to the ナデシコ flower date back to the 万葉集 (8th century).
For example:

> 「うるはしみ我が思ふ君は **なでしこ** が花になそへて見れど飽かぬかも」（万20・4451）

The actual term 大和撫子 probably dates back to the 10th century, as attested in
e.g. the 古今和歌集:

> 「あなこひし今もみてしが山がつのかきほにさける **山となでしこ** 」

So, yes - the term 大和撫子 definitely predates WWII, by a lot.

