The Makioka Sisters (novel)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese novel written by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. It has been called, “the greatest cosmopolitan novel since the Meiji Restoration”.
The novel follows the lives of the Makiokas, a wealthy Osaka
family, from the autumn of 1936 to April, 1941, focusing on the family’s attempts to find a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. It depicts the decline of the family’s upper-middle-class, suburban lifestyle as the specter of World War II and Allied Occupation hangs over the novel.
The novel's title, , means lightly falling snow and is also used in classical Japanese poetry. The image suggests falling cherry blossoms
in early spring—a number of poets confess to confusing falling cherry blossoms with snow. Falling cherry blossoms are a common symbol of impermanence, a prevalent theme of the novel. Additionally, the in Sasameyuki is the same as the yuki in Yukiko's name, suggesting that she is the main character of the novel.
These nuances do not translate well into English. The translator, Edward Seidensticker
, struggled over the title. Translations like “Fine Snow” and “Snow Flurries” do not convey the elegance or layers of meaning in the Japanese title.
Characters
, the eldest Makioka sister and mistress of the main house, the second-oldest Makioka sister and mistress of the Ashiya branch house, the third Makioka sister; thirty and unmarried, shy and retiring, the youngest Makioka sister; unable to marry Okubata until a husband has been found for Yukiko, Tsuruko’s husband and head of the family, a cautious bank employee who has taken the Makioka name, Sachiko’s husband, an accountant who has also taken the Makioka name, young daughter of Sachiko and Teinosuke, a maid at the Ashiya house, son of a prominent Osaka merchant family, has tried to elope with Taeko, a photographer and former clerk at the Okubatas’ jewelry store, owner of the beauty parlor the Makioka sisters patronize, enjoys acting as a go-between in marriage negotiations
Plot
Book One
The Makiokas are an upper-middle class family from Osaka, Japan. At the time of their father’s prime, they were one of the wealthiest families in the region, but over the last generation their fortunes have fallen into decline. The main branch lives in Osaka, at the family home, and consists of the eldest sister, Tsuruko, her husband, Tatsuo, who has taken the Makioka name, and their six children. The branch house is located in Ashiya
, an affluent suburb between Osaka and Kobe
, and consists of the second-oldest sister, Sachiko, her husband, Teinosuke (also an adopted Makioka), and their young daughter, Etsuko. Tsuruko and Sachiko have two younger sisters, Yukiko and Taeko, who are unmarried and move between the main house and the branch house.
As the novel opens, the Makiokas' pride has led them to dismiss the numerous marriage proposals they have received for Yukiko in the past, but, now that their fortunes have declined, the rate of proposals has slowed, and Yukiko, now thirty, remains without a husband. To make matters worse, her name was mistakenly printed in place of Taeko’s in a local newspaper story: Taeko had run away with Okubata. Tatsuo demanded a retraction, but instead, the newspaper ran a correction, replacing Yukiko's name with Taeko's. The article embarrassed the Makioka family and stained both Yukiko’s and Taeko's names; unhappy with the way Tatsuo handled the affair and generally dissatisfied with his cautious nature, Yukiko and Taeko have begun spending most of their time at the Ashiya house. In the wake of the newspaper incident, Taeko finds refuge in doll making—she is quite skilled, and her dolls are sold in department stores. She convinces Sachiko to find her a studio, where she spends a great deal of time working on her dolls.
Itani brings Sachiko a marriage prospect, a man named Segoshi. Hurried by Itani, the family agrees to an informal before they can thoroughly check Segoshi’s background. The Makiokas become optimistic about their chances of making the match, but are eventually forced to decline when they discover that Segoshi's mother is afflicted with a kind of dementia which was considered hereditary.
A few months later, Sachiko receives word of another marriage prospect, this time from an old classmate, Mrs. Jimba. The prospective groom is a middle-aged widower named Nomura. Sachiko is not particularly excited about him, because of his aged appearance, but decides to have him investigated all the same. She asks Mrs. Jimba to give them one or two months to make a decision.
In the meantime, the bank Tatsuo works for has decided to send him to Tokyo to manage a branch office. He and his family will move to Tokyo, and it is decided that Yukiko and Taeko should go with them. Taeko is allowed to stay in Ashiya for a short while to tend to her business, but Yukiko is to leave immediately.
Yukiko is unhappy in Tokyo, and Tsuruko suggests they send her back to Osaka for a while. A follow-up letter regarding Nomura arrives from Mrs. Jimba, just as Sachiko is searching for an excuse to send for Yukiko. Though not enthusiastic about the match, the Makiokas agree to a miai as a pretense for bringing Yukiko back to Ashiya.
Shortly before the miai, Sachiko has a miscarriage, and the Makiokas are forced to postpone meeting Nomura. When Sachiko, Teinosuke, and Yukiko finally meet him, a week later, Sachiko is surprised at how old he looks. After dinner, they are taken back to Nomura's house, where he shows them the Buddhist altar where he prays for his dead wife and children. Yukiko, put off by his insensitivity, declares that she cannot marry him. The family refuses Nomura’s marriage proposal, and Yukiko is sent back to Tokyo.
Book Two
Taeko’s interest in dolls wanes and she begins to devote time to Western-style sewing and traditional Osaka dance. A dance recital is held at the Ashiya house with Taeko as one of the performers. A personable young photographer named Itakura takes pictures at the request of Okubata. Itakura and Taeko are already acquainted; he photographs her dolls.
A month later, a disastrous flood strikes the Kansai
region. Taeko is attending a sewing school in the area hardest hit. Itakura rescues her. Impressed by his heroism, Taeko begins to fall for him. Eventually Taeko’s and Itakura’s relationship becomes known to Sachiko, who disapproves because of Itakura’s low social standing. Nevertheless, Taeko is determined to marry him.
Taeko wants to study fashion design in France with her sewing teacher and asks Sachiko to convince the main house to support her. When Taeko’s sewing teacher abandons her plans to go to France, Taeko decides to open a Western-style dress shop. She goes to Tokyo to ask the main house for money, but is immediately called back to Osaka because Itakura has fallen ill.
Itakura is hospitalized for an inner-ear infection and dies of gangrene resulting from complications of surgery. Itakura’s death alleviates Sachiko’s concern that Taeko will marry below their class.
Book Three
In June, Tatsuo's eldest sister alerts Sachiko of a marriage prospect, a Mr. Sawazaki from a prominent Nagoya family. Sachiko, Yukiko, Taeko, and Etsuko visit Tatsuo’s sister in Ōgaki so that Yukiko can attend the miai. The miai does not go well: Sachiko is left with a negative impression, and Sawazaki rejects the marriage. This is the first time the Makiokas have been refused by a marriage prospect.
Upon her return, Sachiko hears that Taeko has taken up again with Okubata. As the relationship grows increasingly open, Teinosuke informs Tsuruko. Tsuruko demands that Taeko be sent to Tokyo; Taeko refuses and is disinherited.
Later, Itani presents another marriage prospect for Yukiko. The potential suitor, Hashidera, is an attractive candidate, but he is uncertain if he wants to remarry. Teinosuke takes Yukiko to meet him and goes to great lengths to see the match through, but Yukiko's shyness causes Hashidera to call off the negotiations.
Just after this, Sachiko is informed that Taeko has fallen severely ill at Okubata's house. At first, it is assumed that she has dysentery, but the diagnosis is later changed to anthrax. Taeko’s condition grows progressively worse, and the sisters are torn between finding better care and allowing Taeko to be seen at Okubata's house. Eventually she is moved to the hospital of a family friend, where she slowly recovers.
Meanwhile, Sachiko is told that Taeko has been living off of Okubata since being disinherited. Sachiko also hears that Taeko may be involved with a bar tender named Miyoshi. Sachiko is aghast, but now sees a marriage between Taeko and Okubata as a necessity. After Taeko has recovered, Sachiko learns that Okubata is being pressured by his family to go to Manchuria; Sachiko and Yukiko think that Taeko should go with him. Taeko objects, but Yukiko pushes her, saying that she is indebted to Okubata for everything he has given her. Taeko leaves the house in tears and stays away for two days. Okubata eventually decides against going to Manchuria.
The Makiokas also learn that Itani is planning to sell her shop and travel to America, but before her departure, Itani informs Sachiko that she has another suitor for Yukiko. His name is Mimaki, an illegitimate son of a viscount. The sisters travel to Tokyo to meet him, and he quickly charms them. While in Tokyo, Taeko tells Sachiko that she is four months pregnant with Miyoshi’s child. Sachiko and Teinosuke arrange for Taeko to have the baby secretly at Arima
. To protect the Makiokas’ reputation, Teinosuke asks Okubata to remain silent about Taeko’s behavior. Okubata agrees, on condition that Teinosuke compensate him for the money he has spent on Taeko. Teinosuke agrees to pay him two-thousand yen. Taeko's baby dies at birth, and Taeko moves in with Miyoshi.
The Makiokas are pressed to answer Mimaki’s marriage proposal. Yukiko accepts, whereupon Teinosuke sends a letter to the main house asking for their consent. The wedding date and location are set, and a house is secured for the new couple. Yukiko is not excited when her wedding kimonos arrive and suffers from diarrhea, which persists on the train ride to Tokyo.
.
Many of the characters and events in The Makioka Sisters are loosely based on real people and events: Sachiko is modeled after Tanizaki's third wife, Matsuko, and Sachiko's sisters correspond to Matsuko's. Sachiko’s husband, Teinosuke, does not correspond to Tanizaki, however.
. The novel references a number of contemporary events, such as the Kobe
flood of 1938, the Second Sino-Japanese War
, and the growing tensions in Europe.
Publication began in 1943, at the height of World War II. The popularity of the novel attracted the attention of government censors, who ordered that publication be halted, saying: “The novel goes on and on detailing the very thing we are most supposed to be on our guard against during this period of wartime emergency: the soft, effeminate, and grossly individualistic lives of women”.
In reaction to this decline, the characters long for an idealized past—they attempt to remain connected to their past through yearly rituals and observances. The Makiokas’ adherence to these rituals connects them to the traditions of the Edo-period merchant class and reflects Tanizaki’s belief that the Edo-period culture had been preserved in Osaka.
Throughout, the novel contrasts the Kansai
and Kantō regions. "Tokyo's poverty, bleakness, and disorder serve to set off Ashiya's harmonious integration of tradition, modernity, and cosmopolitanism". By extolling the virtues of the Kansai region in contrast to Tokyo, Tanizaki may have been making a political statement. The unfavorable comparison of Tokyo to Kansai "in the context of the war years, [is] a subversive reminder of the nonmilitary roots of Japanese culture and a sort of 'secret history' of Japan from 1936 to 1941".
Edward George Seidensticker
Edward G. Seidensticker (1921–2007) was a noted scholar and translator of Japanese literature. His Japanese education began during World War II; he was trained as an interpreter and translator for the United States Marine Corps
. He started his teaching career at Sophia University
in Tokyo (1955–1959), and was later a professor at Stanford University
(1962–1966), the University of Michigan
(1966–1977), and Columbia University
(1977–1985). Seidensticker's notable translations include, in addition to The Makioka Sisters, Murasaki Shikibu's
The Tale of Genji
(1976), and several novels by Kawabata Yasunari, who won the Nobel Prize
largely on the basis of Seidensticker’s translations. The best known of these is Snow Country
(1956)..
Sasameyuki in Translation
Television
The novel follows the lives of the Makiokas, a wealthy Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
family, from the autumn of 1936 to April, 1941, focusing on the family’s attempts to find a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. It depicts the decline of the family’s upper-middle-class, suburban lifestyle as the specter of World War II and Allied Occupation hangs over the novel.
Story
TitleThe novel's title, , means lightly falling snow and is also used in classical Japanese poetry. The image suggests falling cherry blossoms
Cherry Blossoms
Cherry Blossoms is one of the oldest and largest international marriage agencies still in operation today. It was established in 1974 as a picture catalog, but has now switched entirely to a web-based format...
in early spring—a number of poets confess to confusing falling cherry blossoms with snow. Falling cherry blossoms are a common symbol of impermanence, a prevalent theme of the novel. Additionally, the in Sasameyuki is the same as the yuki in Yukiko's name, suggesting that she is the main character of the novel.
These nuances do not translate well into English. The translator, Edward Seidensticker
Edward Seidensticker
Edward George Seidensticker was a noted scholar and translator of Japanese literature. He was particularly known for his English version of The Tale of Genji , which is counted among the preferred modern translations...
, struggled over the title. Translations like “Fine Snow” and “Snow Flurries” do not convey the elegance or layers of meaning in the Japanese title.
Characters
, the eldest Makioka sister and mistress of the main house, the second-oldest Makioka sister and mistress of the Ashiya branch house, the third Makioka sister; thirty and unmarried, shy and retiring, the youngest Makioka sister; unable to marry Okubata until a husband has been found for Yukiko, Tsuruko’s husband and head of the family, a cautious bank employee who has taken the Makioka name, Sachiko’s husband, an accountant who has also taken the Makioka name, young daughter of Sachiko and Teinosuke, a maid at the Ashiya house, son of a prominent Osaka merchant family, has tried to elope with Taeko, a photographer and former clerk at the Okubatas’ jewelry store, owner of the beauty parlor the Makioka sisters patronize, enjoys acting as a go-between in marriage negotiations
Plot
Book One
The Makiokas are an upper-middle class family from Osaka, Japan. At the time of their father’s prime, they were one of the wealthiest families in the region, but over the last generation their fortunes have fallen into decline. The main branch lives in Osaka, at the family home, and consists of the eldest sister, Tsuruko, her husband, Tatsuo, who has taken the Makioka name, and their six children. The branch house is located in Ashiya
Ashiya, Hyogo
is a city founded on November 10, 1940 located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Osaka and Kobe.-Demographics:As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 93,094 and the density of 5,030 persons per km². The total area is 18.47 km²...
, an affluent suburb between Osaka and Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, and consists of the second-oldest sister, Sachiko, her husband, Teinosuke (also an adopted Makioka), and their young daughter, Etsuko. Tsuruko and Sachiko have two younger sisters, Yukiko and Taeko, who are unmarried and move between the main house and the branch house.
As the novel opens, the Makiokas' pride has led them to dismiss the numerous marriage proposals they have received for Yukiko in the past, but, now that their fortunes have declined, the rate of proposals has slowed, and Yukiko, now thirty, remains without a husband. To make matters worse, her name was mistakenly printed in place of Taeko’s in a local newspaper story: Taeko had run away with Okubata. Tatsuo demanded a retraction, but instead, the newspaper ran a correction, replacing Yukiko's name with Taeko's. The article embarrassed the Makioka family and stained both Yukiko’s and Taeko's names; unhappy with the way Tatsuo handled the affair and generally dissatisfied with his cautious nature, Yukiko and Taeko have begun spending most of their time at the Ashiya house. In the wake of the newspaper incident, Taeko finds refuge in doll making—she is quite skilled, and her dolls are sold in department stores. She convinces Sachiko to find her a studio, where she spends a great deal of time working on her dolls.
Itani brings Sachiko a marriage prospect, a man named Segoshi. Hurried by Itani, the family agrees to an informal before they can thoroughly check Segoshi’s background. The Makiokas become optimistic about their chances of making the match, but are eventually forced to decline when they discover that Segoshi's mother is afflicted with a kind of dementia which was considered hereditary.
A few months later, Sachiko receives word of another marriage prospect, this time from an old classmate, Mrs. Jimba. The prospective groom is a middle-aged widower named Nomura. Sachiko is not particularly excited about him, because of his aged appearance, but decides to have him investigated all the same. She asks Mrs. Jimba to give them one or two months to make a decision.
In the meantime, the bank Tatsuo works for has decided to send him to Tokyo to manage a branch office. He and his family will move to Tokyo, and it is decided that Yukiko and Taeko should go with them. Taeko is allowed to stay in Ashiya for a short while to tend to her business, but Yukiko is to leave immediately.
Yukiko is unhappy in Tokyo, and Tsuruko suggests they send her back to Osaka for a while. A follow-up letter regarding Nomura arrives from Mrs. Jimba, just as Sachiko is searching for an excuse to send for Yukiko. Though not enthusiastic about the match, the Makiokas agree to a miai as a pretense for bringing Yukiko back to Ashiya.
Shortly before the miai, Sachiko has a miscarriage, and the Makiokas are forced to postpone meeting Nomura. When Sachiko, Teinosuke, and Yukiko finally meet him, a week later, Sachiko is surprised at how old he looks. After dinner, they are taken back to Nomura's house, where he shows them the Buddhist altar where he prays for his dead wife and children. Yukiko, put off by his insensitivity, declares that she cannot marry him. The family refuses Nomura’s marriage proposal, and Yukiko is sent back to Tokyo.
Book Two
Taeko’s interest in dolls wanes and she begins to devote time to Western-style sewing and traditional Osaka dance. A dance recital is held at the Ashiya house with Taeko as one of the performers. A personable young photographer named Itakura takes pictures at the request of Okubata. Itakura and Taeko are already acquainted; he photographs her dolls.
A month later, a disastrous flood strikes the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
region. Taeko is attending a sewing school in the area hardest hit. Itakura rescues her. Impressed by his heroism, Taeko begins to fall for him. Eventually Taeko’s and Itakura’s relationship becomes known to Sachiko, who disapproves because of Itakura’s low social standing. Nevertheless, Taeko is determined to marry him.
Taeko wants to study fashion design in France with her sewing teacher and asks Sachiko to convince the main house to support her. When Taeko’s sewing teacher abandons her plans to go to France, Taeko decides to open a Western-style dress shop. She goes to Tokyo to ask the main house for money, but is immediately called back to Osaka because Itakura has fallen ill.
Itakura is hospitalized for an inner-ear infection and dies of gangrene resulting from complications of surgery. Itakura’s death alleviates Sachiko’s concern that Taeko will marry below their class.
Book Three
In June, Tatsuo's eldest sister alerts Sachiko of a marriage prospect, a Mr. Sawazaki from a prominent Nagoya family. Sachiko, Yukiko, Taeko, and Etsuko visit Tatsuo’s sister in Ōgaki so that Yukiko can attend the miai. The miai does not go well: Sachiko is left with a negative impression, and Sawazaki rejects the marriage. This is the first time the Makiokas have been refused by a marriage prospect.
Upon her return, Sachiko hears that Taeko has taken up again with Okubata. As the relationship grows increasingly open, Teinosuke informs Tsuruko. Tsuruko demands that Taeko be sent to Tokyo; Taeko refuses and is disinherited.
Later, Itani presents another marriage prospect for Yukiko. The potential suitor, Hashidera, is an attractive candidate, but he is uncertain if he wants to remarry. Teinosuke takes Yukiko to meet him and goes to great lengths to see the match through, but Yukiko's shyness causes Hashidera to call off the negotiations.
Just after this, Sachiko is informed that Taeko has fallen severely ill at Okubata's house. At first, it is assumed that she has dysentery, but the diagnosis is later changed to anthrax. Taeko’s condition grows progressively worse, and the sisters are torn between finding better care and allowing Taeko to be seen at Okubata's house. Eventually she is moved to the hospital of a family friend, where she slowly recovers.
Meanwhile, Sachiko is told that Taeko has been living off of Okubata since being disinherited. Sachiko also hears that Taeko may be involved with a bar tender named Miyoshi. Sachiko is aghast, but now sees a marriage between Taeko and Okubata as a necessity. After Taeko has recovered, Sachiko learns that Okubata is being pressured by his family to go to Manchuria; Sachiko and Yukiko think that Taeko should go with him. Taeko objects, but Yukiko pushes her, saying that she is indebted to Okubata for everything he has given her. Taeko leaves the house in tears and stays away for two days. Okubata eventually decides against going to Manchuria.
The Makiokas also learn that Itani is planning to sell her shop and travel to America, but before her departure, Itani informs Sachiko that she has another suitor for Yukiko. His name is Mimaki, an illegitimate son of a viscount. The sisters travel to Tokyo to meet him, and he quickly charms them. While in Tokyo, Taeko tells Sachiko that she is four months pregnant with Miyoshi’s child. Sachiko and Teinosuke arrange for Taeko to have the baby secretly at Arima
Arima
The Royal Borough of Arima is the fourth largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima supports the only organised indigenous community in the country, the Santa Rosa Carib Community and is the seat of the Carib Queen...
. To protect the Makiokas’ reputation, Teinosuke asks Okubata to remain silent about Taeko’s behavior. Okubata agrees, on condition that Teinosuke compensate him for the money he has spent on Taeko. Teinosuke agrees to pay him two-thousand yen. Taeko's baby dies at birth, and Taeko moves in with Miyoshi.
The Makiokas are pressed to answer Mimaki’s marriage proposal. Yukiko accepts, whereupon Teinosuke sends a letter to the main house asking for their consent. The wedding date and location are set, and a house is secured for the new couple. Yukiko is not excited when her wedding kimonos arrive and suffers from diarrhea, which persists on the train ride to Tokyo.
Author
Tanizaki Jun’ichirō was born in Tokyo in 1886 and died in 1965. After the 1923 earthquake that destroyed Tokyo, Tanizaki settled permanently in KansaiKansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
.
Many of the characters and events in The Makioka Sisters are loosely based on real people and events: Sachiko is modeled after Tanizaki's third wife, Matsuko, and Sachiko's sisters correspond to Matsuko's. Sachiko’s husband, Teinosuke, does not correspond to Tanizaki, however.
Historical Context
The Makioka Sisters spans the period from autumn, 1936, to April, 1941, ending about seven months before the Japanese attack on Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. The novel references a number of contemporary events, such as the Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
flood of 1938, the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, and the growing tensions in Europe.
Publication began in 1943, at the height of World War II. The popularity of the novel attracted the attention of government censors, who ordered that publication be halted, saying: “The novel goes on and on detailing the very thing we are most supposed to be on our guard against during this period of wartime emergency: the soft, effeminate, and grossly individualistic lives of women”.
Themes
Decline and decay are prominent themes of The Makioka Sisters and are emphasized by the repetition of certain events. The succession of Yukiko’s suitors, the Makiokas’ yearly cherry-viewing excursions, and the increasing severity of illness in the novel form a pattern of “decline-in-repetition”.In reaction to this decline, the characters long for an idealized past—they attempt to remain connected to their past through yearly rituals and observances. The Makiokas’ adherence to these rituals connects them to the traditions of the Edo-period merchant class and reflects Tanizaki’s belief that the Edo-period culture had been preserved in Osaka.
Throughout, the novel contrasts the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...
and Kantō regions. "Tokyo's poverty, bleakness, and disorder serve to set off Ashiya's harmonious integration of tradition, modernity, and cosmopolitanism". By extolling the virtues of the Kansai region in contrast to Tokyo, Tanizaki may have been making a political statement. The unfavorable comparison of Tokyo to Kansai "in the context of the war years, [is] a subversive reminder of the nonmilitary roots of Japanese culture and a sort of 'secret history' of Japan from 1936 to 1941".
Publication
Sasameyuki was originally slated to be serialized in the journal Chūō Kōron in 1943, but publication was halted by the Information Bureau of the Japanese War Ministry after two installments – chapters 1-8 were printed in the 1943, New Year’s, edition and chapters 9-13 in the March, 1943, issue. In 1944, Tanizaki released 248 copies of a private edition of Book One, with financial backing from Chūō Kōron, and was, again, censured by the military. After the conclusion of World War II, the novel was published in three parts: Book One in 1946, Book Two in 1947, and Book Three in 1948 respectively (Chambers, The Secret Window, 71.). The Makioka Sisters, the English language translation by Edward G. Seidensticker, was published in 1957.Translations
Sasameyuki has been translated into at least 14 languages. The English translation, by Edward G. Seidensticker, was published in 1957 as The Makioka Sisters.Edward George Seidensticker
Edward G. Seidensticker (1921–2007) was a noted scholar and translator of Japanese literature. His Japanese education began during World War II; he was trained as an interpreter and translator for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. He started his teaching career at Sophia University
Sophia University
There are several rankings below related to Sophia University.-General Rankings:The university was ranked 61st in 2010 in the ranking Truly Strong Universities by Toyo Keizai...
in Tokyo (1955–1959), and was later a professor at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(1962–1966), the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1966–1977), and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1977–1985). Seidensticker's notable translations include, in addition to The Makioka Sisters, Murasaki Shikibu's
Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012...
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, around the peak of the Heian period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first psychological novel or the first novel still to be...
(1976), and several novels by Kawabata Yasunari, who won the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
largely on the basis of Seidensticker’s translations. The best known of these is Snow Country
Snow Country
is the first full-length novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. The novel established Kawabata as one of Japan's foremost authors and became an instant classic.- Name :...
(1956)..
Sasameyuki in Translation
- Bole-Vrabec, Alenka, trans. Sestre Makiokove [Slovenian]. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva Zalozba, 1967.
- Borsini, Olga Ceretti and Hasegawa Kizu trans. Neve sottile [Italian]. Milano: Martello, 1961.
- Chu Yuanxi, trans. Xì xuě [Chinese]. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 1989.
- Cuspinera, M. Menendez, trans. Las hermanas Makioka [Spanish]. Barcelona: Seix y Barral, 1966.
- Gotoda, Leiko, trans. Irmas Makioka, As [Portugese]. Sao Paulo: Estacao Liberdade Publishing House, 2005.
- Kaila, Kai, trans. Makiokan sisarukset [Finnish]. Helsinki: Tammi, 1991.
- Kovalenko, Giouri, trans. I adelfes Makioka [Greek]. Athens: Kastaniote, 1994.
- Mecreant, Marc, trans. Bruine de neige [French]. In Tanizaki: Oeuvres II, 1-649. Paris: Editions *Gallimard, 1998.
- Petrovich, Aleksandar, trans. Sestre Makioka [Sherpa]. Beograd: Prosveta, 1972.
- Redko-Dobrovolskaia, T., trans. Мелкий снег [Russian]. Moscow: Teppa, 2001.
- Renondeau, Gaston, trans. Quatre soeurs [French]. Paris: Editions Gallimard, 1964.
- Seidensticker, Edward G., trans. The Makioka Sisters [English]. New York: Knopf, 1957.
- Song Tae-uk trans. Seseol [Korean]. Paju: The Open Books Co., 2009.
- Sun Riming, Chen Jing, Liang Shoujian, trans. Luan shi si jie mei [Chinese]. Nanning: Guangxi National Press, 1991.
- Westerhoven, Jacques, trans. Stille sneeuwval: de geschiedenis van de gezusters Makioka [Dutch]. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff Editie, 1994.
- Wikelhoferova, Vlasta, trans. Sestry Makiokovy [Czech]. Praha: Svoboda, 1977.
- Yatsushiro, Sachiko and Hengst, Ulla, trans. Die Schwestern Makioka [German]. Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1964.
- Zhou Yizhi, trans. Xì xuě [Chinese]. Changsha: Hunan People's Publishing House, 1985.
Adaptations
Film- Sasameyuki. Directed by Yutaka Abe. Tokyo: New Tōhō Company. 1950.
- Sasameyuki. Directed by Koji Shima. Tokyo: The Greater Japan Motion Picture Company. 1959.
- Sasameyuki. Directed by Kon Ichikawa. Tokyo: Toho Co., Ltd.. 1983.
Television
- Sasameyuki. Nippon Television Network Corporation. Tokyo. 1957.
- Sasameyuki. NET (Now, TV Asahi Corporation). Tokyo. 1959.
- Sasameyuki. Nippon Television Network Corporation. Tokyo. 1965.
- Sasameyuki. Fuji Television Network, Inc. Tokyo. 1966.
- Sasameyuki. Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation. Osaka. 1980.
See also
- Tanizaki Jun’ichirō
- Japanese Wiki Page
- Edward G. Seidensticker
External links
- Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum(Japanese)
- 倚松庵 isyouan(Tanizaki's house when writing "The Makioka Sisters", Japanese)