Latest news with #YukioMishima
Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Pride and prose: Novels that illuminate queer lives in Japan
Japan has a long and colorful lineage of same-sex love and non-normative sexualities. As queer communities in Japan continue to fight for social acceptance, equal rights and legal protections, Pride Month is an opportune moment to look at how sexual minorities have been represented in the country's literary domain. Nowadays, Japanese fiction is more accessible than ever before, thanks to a burgeoning field of literary translators as well as the voracious appetites of readers around the world. While not all of the authors in the list below are queer themselves, their depictions of LGBTQ+ characters and themes illustrate, in some measure, the plight of marginalized communities in modern society. Storytelling is a bridge to empathy, offering insights into the lives and worldviews of people we might never be able to meet otherwise. If you're not yet familiar with queer narratives and characters from Japan, think of this list as a jumping-off point — and perhaps the beginning of your reading journey. 'Confessions of a Mask' by Yukio Mishima (translated by Meredith Weatherby) A classic of the modern queer canon, as it were, the significance of 'Confessions of a Mask' is perhaps overshadowed by the controversial legacy of its writer: Yukio Mishima, the ultra-right-wing nationalist, bodybuilder and literary titan who committed seppuku (ritual disembowelment) in 1970 after a failed attempt to overthrow the government. 'Confessions' was published in 1949 and is widely regarded as a semi-autobiographical account of Mishima's childhood and upbringing, relating the experience of a young man who struggles to reconcile with his same-sex attraction in a society of strict mores. 'Kitchen' by Banana Yoshimoto (translated by Megan Backus) Yoshimoto's 1988 book marked her debut on the literary scene and was the recipient of multiple prizes in Japan. The titular novella follows a young woman named Mikage, who takes up residence with Yuichi, a friend of her late grandmother's. Mikage grows fond of Yuichi as well as Eriko, his transgender mother who owns a nightclub. A meditation on family, food and grief, 'Kitchen' creates a space of solace in spite of the tragedy that shadows Mikage's world. 'Twinkle Twinkle' by Kaori Ekuni (translated by Emi Shimokawa) Ekuni's novel centers on a marriage of convenience between Shoko, an alcoholic translator, and Mutsuki, a gay physician who remains very much devoted to his partner Kon. Misfits in a society that prizes conformity, Shoko and Mutsuki decide to tie the knot to alleviate the pressures they face individually. When the topic of procreation comes up, the couple delineate the boundaries of their unconventional relationship and, alongside Kon, create a modern family in their own image. Originally published in 1991, Ekuni's debut novel earned her the Murasaki Shikibu Prize for Literature. 'Real World' by Natsuo Kirino (translated by Philip Gabriel) 'Real World' (published in 2003) follows a quartet of teenage girlfriends — Toshi, Yuzan, Terauchi and Kirarin — and their encounter with a boy nicknamed 'Worm,' who is accused of murdering his mother. Shifting between the perspectives of all five characters, Kirino's mosaic novel offers an intimate glimpse of Japanese youth at the turn of the century, including the interior life of a young woman who attempts to hide her sexuality amid the dynamics of her friend group. 'Sputnik Sweetheart' by Haruki Murakami (translated by Philip Gabriel) One of Murakami's more compact novels, 'Sputnik Sweetheart' is ostensibly a love story between Sumire, an aspiring writer, and the enigmatic Miu, an older Zainichi Korean woman whom she meets at a wedding. Originally published in 2000, the story is narrated by a male protagonist known simply as 'K,' who watches helplessly from the sidelines as Sumire absconds to Europe with Miu. Sumire disappears in Greece and K is compelled to travel afar to aid in her search — his journey revealing more questions than answers, in true Murakami fashion. 'Solo Dance' by Li Kotomi (translated by Arthur Reiji Morris) Li won the Gunzo Prize in 2017 for her novel about the coming of age of Cho Norie, a Taiwanese lesbian navigating a new life in Japan while haunted by the violence and trauma of her past. Alternating between the present day and Norie's younger years, the narrative presents a psychological portrait of a protagonist on the margins, grappling with a deep-rooted loneliness while holding onto hope for a kinder, softer future. 'The Night of Baba Yaga' by Akira Otani (translated by Sam Bett) Yoriko Shindo, a young woman with a checkered past, is the reader's avatar in this slim volume from 2020 that explores the bloody underworld of the 1970s. When Yoriko is forced into servitude in a yakuza compound, she becomes the driver and bodyguard for Shoko Naiki, the 18-year-old daughter of the mob boss. Yoriko and Shoko forge an unlikely bond that forms the core of the novel, which ricochets between two storylines as the violence escalates into a subversive and titillating climax. Untranslated gems in queer literature Despite the Japanese literature publishing boom of recent years, many more works of queer fiction still don't have English translations (for now). Japanese literacy can unlock a whole world of writers and stories from the LGBTQ+ literary canon. 'Two Virgins in the Attic' by Nobuko Yoshiya Originally published in 1919, Yoshiya's story about two young women who become roommates at a boarding school is widely considered to be a narrative prototype of and forerunner to yuri manga depicting same-sex romance and attraction between girls. 'A Lovers' Forest' by Mari Mori Mori, daughter of esteemed novelist Ogai Mori, published this collection of four short stories in 1961, which many credit for inspiring the Boys' Love genre of manga that began to flourish in the following decade. 'Yes, Yes, Yes' by Hisao Hiruma Hiruma's groundbreaking novel won the Bungei Prize in 1989 and delves into the lives of young men who work as hustlers in Shinjuku Ni-chome, Tokyo's LGBTQ+ neighborhood. 'Egoist' by Makoto Takayama The basis of the award-winning film of the same name from director Daishi Matsunaga, Takayama's novel centers on the ill-fated love affair between a magazine editor and his personal trainer. 'The Real Life of Julian Butler' by Nao Kawamoto Kawamoto's novel, published in 2021, is a 'translation' of the biography of Julian Butler — a fictional American writer — and an appraisal of his scandalous public life. 'Dtopia' by Jose Ando Mixed-race author Ando won the Akugatawa Prize this year for his third novel, which centers on contestants on a reality TV dating show set in Bora Bora. A translation of his debut novel 'Jackson Alone' by Kalau Almony is forthcoming in 2026.
The Mainichi
4 days ago
- The Mainichi
Edging Toward Japan 62: In Search of a Japan of cool summers and light nights
There is a curious historical footnote that tends to be forgotten about the Japanese imperial expansion of the late 19th and early 20th century -- largely remembered today as a remorseless expansion westwards and southwards over the Asian continent. It's easy to overlook the fact that there was also a small northern component of this expansion resulting in Japan wresting control for quite a long historical period of part of the island of Sakhalin, in modern day Russia. From 1905 until 1945, the Japanese administered the southern part -- and from 1918 to 1925 the entirety -- of this often overlooked island, meaning that you could travel all the way up the archipelago from the southern tip of Taiwan to the northern tip of Sakhalin without ever leaving Japanese jurisdiction. The Japanese colony on Sakhalin was called "Karafuto" and its third Director General was a man called Hiraoka Sadataro, who also happened to be the novelist Yukio Mishima's paternal grandfather. "Karafuto" is now a land pretty much lost to history, a piece of modern-day Russia that was once Japanese, but sounds like some fantasy landscape such as the imaginary country of Ihatov dreamt up in the 1920s by the Tohoku writer Kenji Miyazawa. The real Karafuto however was not a dreamscape, but a place sometimes bitterly fought over for its raw materials (timber, petroleum and fishing) with native peoples and bonded labourers moved around like chess pieces to make way for imperial ambitions. Karafuto popped up in my mind the other day when I was idly dreaming of a Japan that did not suffer from ever more brutally oppressive summers. Imagine a Japan, I was thinking, which you could visit in summer and where the days were long and the weather tolerably cool, how magical that would be. And then I realised that the fantasy cool-and-summery Japan must only be located in the lost geographical landscape of Karafuto. People often ask me about visiting Japan in the summer and I am often stuck for an answer. I realize that many people enjoy the rituals of a Japanese summer -- the clatter of yukata and geta, the hiss of the cicada, the fireworks, the festivals, the kawadoko (riverside) dining by the Kamo river in Kyoto. Many people visit Japan in summer and have a wonderful time. But as someone constitutionally incapable of handling the heat and humidity, Japan in summer is not for me. If I spent my summers in Japan, I would spend my entire time indoors, huddled up close to an air conditioner. I've been religiously avoiding Japanese summers since that of 1990, when I nearly dissolved in a sweaty puddle into the sheets in my unairconditioned 6-tatami-mat room in a boarding house in the Uzumasa area of Kyoto. Since then, I have rarely made an appearance in Japan in July or August. In fact, as the years have rolled on, and Japan's summers have got ever hotter, I have now also marked the months of June and September on my "Avoid" list. This is all decidedly inconvenient. Because it just happens that the months of June to September are also the time of year when I have the greatest opportunity to visit Japan with my school age children. I have often thought how we might square this circle. I've investigated temperatures in the traditional places of retreat from the summer heat like Karuizawa and Hakone, but they are still too hot for me. Hokkaido is more distant, but even if I trekked that far north, it still wouldn't be cool enough and would leave me dreaming of spending August like the British Royal Family in the Highlands of Scotland. It's a dilemma not being able to visit the country you most want to go at the time of year when you have the most time. So after looking up temperatures on the far periphery of Hokkaido, my eye looked out even further north on the map and I began to wonder if the Japanese gained possession (currently disputed) from the Russians of the Kuril Islands in the far north whether I might then have a suitably cool Japanese destination to visit in summer. Or I found myself dreaming of Sakhalin and half-regretting that the Japanese ever lost their colony there, which would have been quite perfect for my constitution. The controversial journalist Graham Hancock has been promoting for many decades the idea that at the end of the last Ice Age an advanced civilization, having found their native land unliveable due to radical climate change and rapidly increasing sea levels, took to their boats and headed off to new lands. I'm wondering if one day the Japanese will, by common consensus, proclaim their traditional homeland simply too hot to live in anymore and take to their boats and start again somewhere a lot cooler. They might do a deal on some uninhabited chunk of northern landmass and restart their civilization there, a remaking of "Karafuto" for those who simply can't hack the heat and humidity any more. @DamianFlanagan (This is Part 61 of a series) In this column, Damian Flanagan, a researcher in Japanese literature, ponders about Japanese culture as he travels back and forth between Japan and Britain. Profile: Damian Flanagan is an author and critic born in Britain in 1969. He studied in Tokyo and Kyoto between 1989 and 1990 while a student at Cambridge University. He was engaged in research activities at Kobe University from 1993 through 1999. After taking the master's and doctoral courses in Japanese literature, he earned a Ph.D. in 2000. He is now based in both Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, and Manchester. He is the author of "Natsume Soseki: Superstar of World Literature" (Sekai Bungaku no superstar Natsume Soseki).
New York Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A How-To for the Self-Sacrificing Samurai, Now in English
In 1970, the celebrated novelist Yukio Mishima committed seppuku, a gruesome form of ritual suicide that originated with Japan's ancient samurai warrior class. After a failed coup d'état at a military compound in Tokyo, the 45-year-old writer knelt and drew a knife across his belly, cutting laterally from left to right and then upward and downward in a fatal L. Once he had disemboweled himself, Mishima lowered his neck, signaling a trusted second, or kaishaku, who was a member of his private militia, to swiftly behead him with a single stroke of a sword. But the hands of Mishima's second trembled so intensely that he botched three attempts, and another follower had to deliver the coup de grâce. Shamed, the kaishaku knelt and stabbed himself in the abdomen, too. Instant decapitation awaits the second who makes a hash of his duties, which is how the most notorious seppuku of modern times ended with two severed heads on the compound's floor. 'Kaishaku: The Role of the Second' is the title of a new compendium of four rare instructional manuals that have been translated into English for the first time. The earliest, titled 'The Inner Secrets of Seppuku,' dates to the 17th century and was originally a work of kirigami, a half sheet of white mulberry paper folded into a book. 'The manuals contain secret teachings that traditionally were only passed along by word of mouth,' said Eric Shahan, who translated the texts. An American-born English teacher based in Japan, Mr. Shahan has a passion for translating ancient martial art books. He came across the two oldest guides, 'Inner Secrets' and 'Secrets Traditions of Seppuku,' a manual written in 1840, in their original handwritten forms last year in libraries in Japan. The other two guides detailed kaishaku techniques during the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868. Mr. Shahan came across them in obscure, mid-20th century handbooks on sword-fighting styles. The compendium answers such questions as what a kaishaku should wear to a beheading (it depends on the social status of the condemned), whether sake should be offered (too much and things can get unruly), and how to properly perform the lop (leave just enough flesh attached for the head to fall naturally forward into the executed man's arms). Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Asahi Shimbun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Translators are an indispensable asset to the literary world
Haruki Murakami gives a speech as he accepts the Lattes Grinzane Literary Prize during a ceremony at the Fondazione Bottari Lattes in Alba, Italy, on Oct. 11, 2019. ((C) Fondazione Bottari Lattes-Murialdo) When I travel to a country where I don't speak the language, I always seek out a bookstore that might have a section of English translations I can manage to understand. When I ask the store clerk, "Do you have any recommended English translations of local authors' works?" they're usually kind enough to offer suggestions. On one occasion, a store clerk unexpectedly handed me a thick memoir by a politician, which threw me off guard. But when I do find a recommended book that suits my taste, it feels like I've stumbled upon a hidden gem. I also look for works by Japanese authors that have been translated into the local language, and the landscape in this regard has changed dramatically over the past 40 or so years. In the past, Japanese authors available in translation were primarily limited to Yukio Mishima (1925-1970), Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) and Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965). Today, however, novels by Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto and a wider array of contemporary Japanese writers are available in multiple languages. In recent years, translations of Japanese-language books spanning a much broader range of genres and authors have become increasingly accessible. As my search for translations of Japanese books extends beyond foreign bookstores, I also turn to international book reviews and explore literary award nominees. Recently, the shortlist for Britain's prestigious International Booker Prize was announced, and Hiromi Kawakami's novel 'Under the Eye of the Big Bird' was among the six books selected. This award, which is part of the globally renowned Booker Prize, is presented annually to the best work of fiction from around the world that has been translated into English and published in Britain or Ireland. It is awarded to both the author and the translator. The 2025 International Booker Prize was awarded to 'Heart Lamp,' a short story collection by Indian author Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada. This marks the first time a work originally written in Kannada, a language spoken by an estimated 65 million people in southern India, has won the award. In the world of translation, works translated from English into other languages far outnumber translations from other languages into English. However, if the latter category grows and expands, we may begin to see more works originally written in languages other than English gaining recognition. The Japanese author I have encountered most frequently on foreign bookshelves is Haruki Murakami, whose works have been translated into more than 50 languages. With the help of talented translators, I hope Japanese literature will continue to be translated into even more languages, further extending its global reach. —The Asahi Shimbun, May 23 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Japan Times
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Shogo Yamaguchi: ‘Traditional culture thrives in a peaceful society'
Shogo Yamaguchi, 30, has been sharing his love of Japanese traditional culture with the world through his YouTube channel Let's ask Shogo since 2020. The Kyoto-based cultural enthusiast and content creator's goal is to protect and promote Japan's traditions, from tea ceremony to martial arts and beyond. 1. Are you ready for the cherry blossom-fueled surge in tourism? In certain locations, it's going to be absolutely crazy. Famous tourist spots will be super crowded; you can't breathe or move or anything. But as a resident who lives away from those areas, you're just living your everyday life. 2. What was your motivation for starting your YouTube channel? My first job in Kyoto was in the tourism industry, working in a samurai-themed restaurant and then at Samurai Experience, which allows guests to wield a katana and try Zen meditation. Later on, I tried to start my own private Japanese music show but COVID happened and shut it down. My wife and I took on various jobs, but we were barely surviving and had just had our second child. That's when I decided to try YouTube. 3. Why traditional Japanese culture? I love talking about traditional culture, so I thought I could focus on some of the things that my guests used to ask me when I was working in tourism. 4. How did you grow your channel to almost 2 million subscribers? It all happened due to the timing, honestly. For half a year, I only had like 700 subscribers. Then, due to the anniversary of Yukio Mishima's death, who famously committed seppuku (ritual disembowelment), everyone was searching the term online and one of my videos ranked high. I reached 1,000 subscribers overnight; then 10,000 weeks later, and 100,000 months later. 5. Can you tell us about your international background? I was in Michigan from age 5 to 11 due to my father's job and here I learned English. Later, I went to an international high school in Hiroshima where I had the chance to visit Germany, Austria and Canada. Then, when I went to university in Kyoto, I started studying Mandarin and did a year abroad in Beijing, where I met my wife. 6. What was it like returning to Japan after living in the States? I've actually made a video about the bullying I experienced. I really felt how you have to be 'normal' and fit into the collective culture of Japanese society. In the U.S., I was taught to have my own opinion, but coming back to Japan with that attitude was difficult. In Michigan, there were some people who would make fun of Asians, but I always felt, 'It's okay, there's going to be a time when I go back to Japan, because I'm Japanese.' But when I came back, no one actually accepted me as a Japanese person. For a while there, I was like, who am I? Where do I actually belong? Am I Japanese? 7. Why did you decide to move to Kyoto? My mother is from Kyoto, so I would come here almost every year to see my grandparents. My grandfather would act as our tour guide, taking us to shrines and temples or mountain climbing, and he would discuss their history, which I loved so much. His impact on me was huge. 8. What's it like to raise a family there? Kyoto is going bankrupt, so raising kids here is actually a little tough — especially because there's more and more taxes on residents, so expenses are really high. 9. How does it feel to feature your family in your work? The business is just my wife and I; we do everything together. She's been training in tea ceremony as long as I have and she recently became a professional kitsukeshi (kimono dresser). My kids also really love being in the videos and getting to see themselves on YouTube. 10. Why is it important to you to speak frankly about Japan's social problems? My ultimate goal is to try to preserve Japanese traditional culture. To create an environment where traditional culture thrives, society needs to be peaceful. Otherwise we can't talk about culture, right? It's not a priority if there are other issues. That's the reason why I point those problems out — so we can address them. 11. What video did you enjoy researching the most? I think the most interesting video I did was about how Bushido is ruining Japan. It's not the video that gained the most views, but researching it was very, very interesting. 12. What did you discover? A lot of people think of Bushido as this code of honor, but it was more so the government's way to keep samurai in their place, to restrict them while allowing them to feel they were doing something noble. 13. What aspect of Japanese culture do you think is underrated? Tea ceremony. A lot of people think that the tea ceremony is great — 'let's put on some kimonos and drink matcha and have some sweets' — but its main purpose is to show hospitality and peace and allow people to communicate without weapons. The whole concept of the tea ceremony itself is just really, really beautiful. 14. Among your many traditional endeavors, which is the most challenging? Physically, it's kobudō, the ancient Japanese martial arts that I train in. But mentally, it has to be the tea ceremony. 15. What do you think non-Japanese content creators get wrong about Japan? One thing that I dislike very much is when they take a picture or a video of the most overcrowded place, like Kiyomizu Temple, and say, 'Kyoto is so overcrowded' or 'It's crazy,' that kind of thing, and then there's Japanese people (in the comments) saying that tourists should just go home. But even a street away from those areas, it can be quite quiet. Though he has a deep appreciation for tea ceremony and martial arts, among other traditions, Shogo Yamaguchi doesn't shy away from speaking about Japan's social problems. | Laura Pollacco 16. What places would you recommend in Kyoto? The Kyotango area, which is the northernmost area in the prefecture, is only one or two hours away by car, and it's beautiful and quiet. 17. What experiences would you recommend people try in Kyoto? Wearing a kimono! The scenery in Kyoto is just perfect for pictures and videos; you really feel like you've come somewhere special where you can wrap yourself in the culture. 18. This is an experience you are getting involved in yourself, right? Yes. I've very recently started working with a men's kimono shop called Kato Shoten, where we teach men how to properly wear kimono. In a 90-minute or 2-hour lesson, I show not only how to put it on, but also how to fold the garment, how to wash it — things they need to know once they leave Japan. 19. How can tourists be mindful when visiting Kyoto? I feel that some restaurants here can be very impolite to tourists because they can't communicate with you. But I want to stress that's not everyone here; there are a lot of people here who are very welcoming and open, so please don't be afraid to try more local places. Just understand that those working in the heart of Kyoto may be tired and stressed. 20. Besides Kyoto, what other destinations do you recommend? Nara. Many people forget that Nara was the capital before Kyoto, so it has a lot to offer historically and it's much quieter and more peaceful.
