Aya Kōda
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese essayist and novelist. She was the second daughter of Meiji period
novelist Kōda Rohan
. Her daughter Aoki Tama and granddaughter Nao Aoki were also writers.
Kōda was born in Tokyo. At the age of five, she lost her mother, and later her younger sister and brother. She studied at the Tokyo Women's School Joshigakuin. She married at age 24, but divorced after 10 years and returned with her daughter, Tama, to live with her father. During World War II
, she helped secure her father's job as described in Aoki Tama's Koishikawa no i.e. (小石川の家, The house in Koishikawa). Her first works, written when she was 43, were memoirs of life with her father; they include Chichi (父, My Father) and Konna koto (こんなこと, Such an affair). Seen as the writings of a dutiful daughter, they achieved critical success.
Her subsequent short stories, novels and essays, explored women's lives, family, and traditional culture. They include the 1955 novel Nagareru (Flowing), which was made into a popular movie, as well as essays such as Kakera (Fragments) and Mono Iwanu Issho no Tomo (A Friend for Life), and short stories including Hina (Dolls for a Special Day) and Kunsho (The Medal). She received the Yomiuri Prize
for Kuroi suso.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
novelist Kōda Rohan
Koda Rohan
who used the pen name was a Japanese author in the Meiji period. His daughter, Aya Kōda, was also a noted author who often wrote about him.Kōda wrote "The Icon of Liberty", also known as "The Buddha of Art" or "The Elegant Buddha", in 1889. A house in which Kōda lived was rebuilt in 1972 by the...
. Her daughter Aoki Tama and granddaughter Nao Aoki were also writers.
Kōda was born in Tokyo. At the age of five, she lost her mother, and later her younger sister and brother. She studied at the Tokyo Women's School Joshigakuin. She married at age 24, but divorced after 10 years and returned with her daughter, Tama, to live with her father. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she helped secure her father's job as described in Aoki Tama's Koishikawa no i.e. (小石川の家, The house in Koishikawa). Her first works, written when she was 43, were memoirs of life with her father; they include Chichi (父, My Father) and Konna koto (こんなこと, Such an affair). Seen as the writings of a dutiful daughter, they achieved critical success.
Her subsequent short stories, novels and essays, explored women's lives, family, and traditional culture. They include the 1955 novel Nagareru (Flowing), which was made into a popular movie, as well as essays such as Kakera (Fragments) and Mono Iwanu Issho no Tomo (A Friend for Life), and short stories including Hina (Dolls for a Special Day) and Kunsho (The Medal). She received the Yomiuri Prize
Yomiuri Prize
The is a prestigious literary award in Japan. The prize was founded in 1948 by the Yomiuri Shinbun Company to help form a "cultural nation". The winner is awarded one million Japanese yen and an inkstone.-Award categories:...
for Kuroi suso.
Selected English translations
- The Writings of Kōda Aya, a Japanese Literary Daughter, Alan M. Tansman (trans.), Yale University Press, 1993.
- Mirror: The Fiction and Essays of Koda Aya, Ann Sherif (trans.), University of Hawaii Press, 1999. ISBN 0824818997.
Selected works
- Kuroi Suso (黒い裾, Black skirt)
- Nagareru (流れる, Flowing)
- Tatakai (闘, Fight)
- Otōto (おとうと, My little brother)
- Misokkasu (みそつかす, Outsiders)
- Shuen (终焉, The Last Hours)
- Soso no ki (葬送の記, Funeral records)