The “family system” in Japan originated from the feudal social order formed by the samurai family to maintain their “family business”. The awakening of personal consciousness from the perspective of Western learning and the implementation of the Meiji Restoration’s Westernization policy shook the traditional family order，and the existence or abolition of the family system attracted attention. However，during the compilation process of the Meiji Civil Code，which aimed to determine modern personal identity and social order，Hozumi Yatsuka and others resolutely defended traditional family order for maintaining the imperial system，and ultimately solidified the family customs of samurai in the form of modern civil law in the Meiji Civil Code. Subsequently，in order to elevate the family system into a moral concept for all citizens and become the social foundation for maintaining the rule of modern imperial rule，conservative thinkers such as Hozumi Yatsuka began to interpret and reshape the theory of “family system”. This article aims to review the process of the shaking and reshaping of the “family system” during the Meiji period，and to explore the contradictions and conflicts between cultural traditions represented by the “family system” and Western liberalism during Japan’s modernization process，and analyze the ultimate choices of the Japanese people。