Chair: Eiji Sekine, Purdue University

As theorists from Foucault onward have shown, the concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality can be used to analyze entire constructions of knowledge, behavior, and material production within a culture, just as race and gender have frequently been used in the past. Because Japan saw constant changes in concepts of femininity and masculinity as well as in gender and sexual roles during the early part of the twentieth century, it is particularly worthwhile to analyze homosexuality in the shifting patterns of culture in the period. As Western medicalized psychoanalysis, feminism, and modern social engineering all made headway in Japan, they problematized the issue of sexuality, and homosexuality in particular, making same-sex relations a contested site in the production of new gender relations. Publishing represented one area that gave expression (both supportive and reactive) to these newly produced understandings.

From the disciplines of history and literature, this panel brings together three studies that examine these expressions within journalistic and literary publications of the Taishô and early Shôwa periods. These papers all look at how these representations function in, or even help determine, the culture of the period. Though the works that these three papers deal with depict different engagements between the sexes—ranging from homosocial female-female camaraderie to overt male-male eroticism—these papers give a glimpse into the complex and shifting fabric of gender and sexual relations within a rapidly changing Japanese society. Likewise, each paper reveals the important role same-sex relations have played in areas ranging from feminism to the production of mystery fiction.

Jeffrey Angles, Ohio State University

Hakubunkan published the magazine Shin Seinen (New Youth) from January 1910 to July 1950. Especially before the Pacific War, this popular magazine frequently published stories involving crime, the bizarre, and the supernatural. During the 1920s, it became a forum for writing dealing with "ero, guro, nansensu" ("eroticism, grotesquerie, and nonsense"), all popular themes during the day. After briefly examining the question of why such fiction emerged at that point in history, this paper will look at the narratological modes used in such work, specifically in depictions of aberrant behavior.

As a case study, this paper will look at the Shin Seinen novella, Akuma no deshi (The Devil’s Disciple, 1929) by Hamao Shirô (1896–1935). The entire work consists of a single letter written by a jailed man to his boyhood boyfriend, the former blaming the latter for implanting the tendencies that led to a failed heterosexual relationship and an abnormal interest in criminal behavior.

Though the text might be popularly considered "homophobic" in its association of homosexuality and criminal instincts, this paper will show that the picture is rather more complex. The accused describes the prosecutor as a phantastic Other upon whom he projects his criminal and non-heterosexual desires, yet the testimony is fraught with inconsistencies that highlight his failure to convincingly complete this process of displacement. Meanwhile, the novella involves a push-and-pull dynamic, evoking the strange while simultaneously problematizing it, a stance that I argue is related to the narratological character of mystery and ero guro nansensu fiction as a whole.

Dina Lowy, Rutgers University

In September 1911, a group of women founded Seitô (Bluestockings), Japan’s first magazine for women and exclusively by women. It started as a literary outlet for woman writers, but soon turned into a forum for discussing various feminist issues. Hiratsuka Raichô served as its spiritual leader and first editor-in-chief. In January 1912, Odake Kôkichi, a flamboyant aspiring artist and writer, joined Seitô. Hiratsuka and Odake—and their scandalous behavior—helped signal the arrival of New Women in Japan. Many Seitô members would embrace this image as positive, dynamic, and modern. Many in the press would portray the New Woman as negative, destructive, and immoral.

This paper will explore the relationship that developed between Hiratsuka and Odake, and what it reveals about Taisho attitudes towards sexuality in general and lesbianism specifically. Seitô women consciously (and unconsciously) pushed the boundaries of acceptable feminine attitudes, behavior, and activities in a variety of ways. Hiratsuka and Odake were the main characters in two scandals that challenged conventional views of sexuality—the Five-Colored Liquor Incident and the Visit to the Pleasure Quarters. They also had to grapple with their feelings for each other when Hiratsuka met her lifelong male partner in the summer of 1912.

I will focus on both how each of the women wrote about their relationship, as well as how it was treated in the press.

Hiromi Tsuchiya, Purdue University

Yaneura no nishojo (Two Virgins in the Attic, 1919) is a work of semi-autobiographical fiction by Yoshiya Nobuko, in which she describes a female-female love experience with her dorm mate. Yoshiya depicts the development and awakening of the main character, Akiko, as she overcomes jealousy and certain mental complexes. This bildungsroman might be considered the first work of Japanese lesbian fiction.

Comparing this work with her previous work, Hana monogatari (Flower Tales), one can observe progress in Yoshiya’s thinking. Whereas Hana monogatari depicts female-female desire in an almost narcissistic way by employing a dreamy writing style, Yaneura no nishojo is much more realistic and delivers a strong message to her readers. The last scene of this work is especially empowering: two girls decide to live together and leave the dormitory to enter the real world and together brave any hardships that they will face as a couple. Yaneura no nishojo clearly reflects the personal experience of Yoshiya, herself a lesbian. One can read this work, therefore, as Yoshiya’s own bildungsroman, in which she establishes a lesbian identity and sets down her own thoughts.