A Look into the Works of Female Authors in
Japan
Drawing
on inspiration from my readings of Higuchi Ichiyo with Professor Mizenko, I
decided take a closer look at her work particularly in conjunction with the
works of a few post-war authors. I’m
focusing on female authors because I find that women’s voices are too often
overlooked in history. The post-war
authors I will discuss are Kono Taeko, and Kurahashi Yumiko. All of these women have been recognized as
successful and influential writers. First
I will give background information for all authors mentioned before discussing
shared themes and stylistic differences amongst these authors’ stories.
Higuchi,
Kono, Kurahashi
Higuchi
Ichiyo was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1872.
She was born Higuchi Natsu or Natsuko but wrote under the pen name
Higuchi Ichiyo. She began studying to
write poetry in Heian style around the age of 14 and by 19 was keeping a diary
in which she wrote compulsively. It
turned into hundreds of pages and is considered by many to contain some of her
greatest literature. Unfortunately it
can only be found in Japanese and has not been translated into other languages
as of yet.
It was
only about nine months after she began writing that Higuchi was recognized as a
promising and skilled author. Her talent
only grew and her works were published in various mediums. She was visited at her home by a number of
famous authors and poets. Higuchi’s
writing career was strong yet brief and died much too soon of tuberculosis at
the age of 24. Some of her most famous
short stories include Thirteenth Night
and Child’s Play. Her work was very influential to Japanese
literature and although her time was short her writing made a strong impact.
Kono
Taeko is known to be one of the most important writers in modern Japanese
literature. She was born in Osaka in
1926 and became well regarded as a playwright, essayist, and literary critic. Kono has had immense influence over
contemporary female authors in Japan.
She passed away last year. To
name a few of her stories: Ants Swarm,
Final Moments, and Bone Meat.
Kurahashi
Yumiko was born in Kami, Japan in 1935.
She is noted as being of the same generation of great women writers in
Japan as Kono Taeko. Kurahashi has
written a few novels and short stories, including Partei.
Themes
One
commonality amongst all of these writers’ stories is the use of female
characters and female leads. Higuchi’s
stories all have a least a female main character or important character. This is true as well for Ants Swarm, and Final
Moments. The woman’s agency and
autonomy in her life plays an important role in all of these stories. This ability flexes or is limited considering
and in the face of her circumstances.
Much of this is portrayed as the woman’s control in her situation which
is often a struggle or suffering. While
reading these stories in tandem I found that they so often involve suffering in
one form or another and thus situate the women within a certain framework as to
demonstrate their character or capability.
These women are given and utilize a certain amount of control or lack of
control and as a result situate themselves and are situated within the world
around them.
Examples
of women in struggle can be found in Thirteenth
Night and Ants Swarm. In Higuchi’s story we meet Oseki who lives
with an emotionally abusive husband and no way to realistically leave the
situation, especially taking her son into consideration. Oseki shows self-determination in her efforts
and pleas to get out of her miserable situation but ultimately is resigned to
her obligations as a mother as restrained by formulas of marriage, motherhood,
and society.
Struggle
or suffering may also take the form of illness or inevitable death. The prospect of death or illness is common
not only in Higuchi stories alone but in Kono’s stories as well. Higuchi’s Flowers at Dusk ends with the female
protagonist falling ill seemingly as a result of unrequited love. Final
Moments centers around a woman who meticulously plans for her demise.
In
their writing Higuchi and Kono share a use of descriptive language. Their stories are often full of reflection,
mainly on the part of the character.
This focuses more on thought and experience rather than action and
active language. That is not to say that
action is not represented in their stories but that reflection and characters’
thoughts about scenarios appear very frequently. This descriptive language results in
beautiful scenes and meaningful, thought-provoking emotion. These authors’ use of language also creates
narrative endings that are full of wonder and not always definitive. Their stories will end with something calm or
obscure, or on a moment of reflection. For
example, in Ants Swarm, the story
ends with a piece of meat, raw and forgotten, being swarmed by a thick mass of
black ants. Nothing led up to it,
nothing follows. It’s a seemingly random
but purposefully placed piece of imagery that brings this unique story to a
close. Another example is at the end of Final Moments where the audience
discovers the imminent death was nothing but imagination. These endings are sometimes dream-like in
effect and can leave the reader feeling peaceful, dazed, and unsure about what
the narrative’s future holds.
One of
my favorite things about Higuchi Ichiyo’s stories is how she ascribes
significance to everyday life and people.
Her stories usually focus on regular, realistic people in un-fantastical
situations. The lives and experiences of
these individuals are important and interesting, especially to Higuchi and she
brings them to light in her stories in such a way to cause the audience to take
a second look at what is usually taken for granted.
Differences
Throughout
my readings I’ve also noticed stylistic differences in the works of these
writers. While both Higuchi and Kono are
descriptive writers, I found that Higuchi is often more poetic. After all Higuchi did start off writing Heian
poetry. It’s no wonder that in the
original Japanese her works are so intricate and often difficult to read. She used an old style of Japanese not
commonly used anymore at that time. Higuchi’s
short stories often begin with setting the scene, using metaphors to paint an
image not only of location but foreshadowing of the lives lived by the story’s
characters. This description of
setting sets the tone for the narrative.
It is also common to see Higuchi end the story by coming back to the
same or a similar image to that in the beginning, giving the audience a calm
sense of closure or thoughtfulness.
Kono’s
writing is more straightforward, almost blunt at times. It’s witty and raw both in style and content. Kono’s characters seem very much in control
of their language and actions, guiding the narrative with purpose and
tact. Her stories also involve more
violence, sex, and sexuality; something you definitely wouldn’t see so explicitly
from Higuchi. Kono has one story in
particular that is heavy with sex and violence: Ants Swarm. This story
illustrates the life of a couple, from the perspective of the female character,
who is interested in violence during sex, not interested in having children,
and how those things shift in their relationship. While this kind of content may be less
unusual to find in writing nowadays, it was significantly less common when Kono
was starting out as a writer and even less during the time of Higuchi Ichiyo.
While
similar in some ways, Kurahashi’s writing also differs in style. Her language and content are often more
experimental than seen in that of other authors. Her stories involve elements of parody,
commentary, dystopia and social order. I
found that Higuchi’s stories were similar in that they reflected on the
struggles of the middle and working class while Kurahashi’s tended more to
formulaic social order as a whole.
Poetry
During
my research I’ve also looked a little at contemporary poets and their
writing. These poets include Tawara
Machi, and Ito Hiromi. These women are
most famous as contemporary poets and use a range of styles.
Tawara
is cited as bringing popularity back to tanka.
Tanka is a short poem style that consists of a pattern in five parts:
5-7-5-7-7. Tawara is known to be a very
skilled poet and has written many pieces throughout her career. She often combines modern and classical
elements of Japanese poetry. One of her
most famous works is Salad Anniversary,
which started something called the “salad phenomenon”. Tawara was widely received for this work and her
fame grew as a result.
Hiromi
Ito is another very famous contemporary poet, perhaps even more prominent and
well-known that Tawara Machi. Hiromi has
established herself as a writer with over a dozen poetry collections, a handful
of essay books and works of prose. I
found that her style of writing and content is similar in a way to that of some
of Kono Taeko’s work. Hiromi’s poems
often deal with sexuality, eroticism, the female body, and childbirth. She also uses direct and often dramatic
language in her poetry. She is an
excellent woman writer and writer for women and women’s issues. She writes about topics that not many dare to
broach and has become a voice for women’s poetry. While some may deem her a feminist writer,
Hiromi doesn’t necessarily claim that title for herself.
One of
her most famous and controversial works, Killing
Kanoko, she describes a young mother’s feelings about her newborn child,
anger, and dealing with postpartum depression.
While a poem like this may be hard and emotional to both read and write,
the topic is an important one. Feelings
of postpartum depression aren’t uncommon and exposure to and recognition of
this phenomenon may help a lot of women and their partners deal with it.
Final
Words
Overall
my research has allowed me to become more familiar with many different Japanese
female writers in different mediums. I’ve
found that these writers have both differences and similarities in the styles
and methods of their writing. Content is
probably the most distinct between writers, especially between pre- and
post-war authors. However, I’ve
discovered that even as time goes on, each author is radical or ground-shifting
in their own regard. All of these women
write women characters in their own way, but in such a way that they cannot be
ignored. These stories and characters
push boundaries through action and personality.
I’m
incredibly impressed and awed by the works of these women and am glad I had the
opportunity to read some of their writing.
Moving forward I’ll continue to seek out more literature by Japanese
women from all time periods and would definitely encourage others to do the same.
References:
Danly, Robert Lyons, and Ichiyō Higuchi. In the Shade of Spring Leaves: The Life and Writings of Higuchi Ichiyō, a Woman of Letters in Meiji Japan. New Haven: Yale UP, 1981. Print.
