Gyuri: A Place Like The Plague

In her novel, When the Emperor was Divine, Julie Otsuka develops the concepts of memory and identity as they applied to Japanese Americans 70 years ago. Before WWII, the featured family saw themselves as American rather than Japanese. Three years of internment later, they are not so sure. Their heritage, an aspect of their identity once only present in their heirlooms and the food they ate, had been perverted by society into a monstrosity malicious enough to justify their mass incarceration. The disparity between the life they once lived and the life the life they lived in the camps leaves them hollow, shells of their former selves, even when they finally return home. Thus, with her skillful incorporation of motifs of darkness and

As mentioned earlier, Miss Sasagawara does possess worthy merits such as being intellectual and refined. However, her merits are disregarded simply because she was different in appearance from the rest. Yamamoto uses Miss Sasagawara’s character to challenge the presupposed notion that people who are different are necessarily not of value and thus unable to contribute positively to society. There should not be a belittling attitude taken, such as the reception Miss Sasagawara received when she took upon herself to teach a class of girls ballet, and was the only adult rewarded with a bath towel, an intimate gift that she had to open in front of the audience, bearing in mind that this very act could possibly be seen as humiliating based on traditional conservative Japanese culture.

Julie Otsuka’s novel When the Emperor was Divine leads the reader through the journey of one family that represents many as they are placed in an internment camp for the crime of being Japanese. Otsuka brings to light the persecution of Japanese-Americans through her use of symbols prominent throughout the book. Some of the most important being the symbol of stains, their family dog, and horses. Each has a double-meaning pointing towards the theme of widespread racism. Racism that led many Japanese-Americans into believing that they were guilty.

In her novel When the Emperor Was Divine, author Julie Otsuka presents the long-lasting effects that isolation and alienation have on a person’s self- image and identity. During WWII, Japanese-Americans living in the United States were forced to move to isolated and horrific internment camps. The US government ensured they were separated from the rest of the country. This even included their own families. When the Japanese-Americans were allowed to return home after the war, the result of the isolation they experienced created irreversible damage. They continued to experience alienation, often making it impossible for them to recover emotionally, mentally and financially. Otsuka uses characterization to bring to life the traumas of the war and the effects it had on her characters, the girl, her mother and her father.

'Even with all the mental anguish and struggle, an elemental instinct bound us to this soil. Here we were born; here we wanted to live. We had tasted of its freedom and learned of its brave hopes for democracy. It was too late, much too late for us to turn back.' (Sone 124). This statement is key to understanding much of the novel, Nisei Daughter, written by Monica Sone. From one perspective, this novel is an autobiographical account of a Japanese American girl and the ways in which she constructed her own self-identity. On the other hand, the novel depicts the distinct differences and tension that formed between the Issei and Nisei generations. Moreover, it can be seen as an attempt to describe the

The relevance that the event still has on today’s society can be seen when Japan’s senior vice-minister for Economy Tadahiro Matsushita stated “Japan had caused tremendous damage and suffering to people of many countries, which was a cause of deep remorse and a heartfelt apology”.

The daughter of Japanese immigrants to the United States, Mitsuye Yamada was born in Japan during her mother’s return visit to her native country. In 1942, she and her family were incarcerated and then relocated to a camp in Idaho. The Executive Order 9066 signed by President Roosevelt in February 1942 was the reason Mitsuye and her family were incarcerated. The Japanese attack on Pearl Habor in December 1941, gave military authorities the right to remove any and all persons from “military areas.”

Rivalry with an older geisha almost destroys her career. Sayuri is tormented and inspired by love for a man who she believes she cannot have. The story covers the period of the second world war - the end of an era for Japan.

History has shown how Japanese people are stoic people. During the time of terror and grief they showed no emotions but put one foot forward and continue to strive to build their communities. The six characters each experience the bombing but feel as if it only happened to them at first.

She used her last bit of money and could not get more because of the war restricting communications and borders. “I was stranded in Switzerland with nothing but a toothbrush... The train fare from Budapest to Berne took my last cent and the money I had expected had not arrived at the American Express Office. Mail Service was suspended and the French border was closed.” (Okubo 3) The war created propaganda against Japanese Americans, even if they were totally loyal to the U.S. There was a curfew put in place for anyone Japanese which made it necessary for her to have to get a permit to go to her work.

The violent markings of the photo album and its images, however, produce an equally powerful message that jars the memory as it disrupts and distorts the photographic chronicle of her life and that of her family and friends. The result is a complex visual experience that addresses the use of images in producing knowledge and making history.

Japan, forced to rebuild itself from the ashes of defeat, was occupied by Americans in the aftermath of World War II. Although it was commonly perceived through the victors’ eyes, in John W. Dower’s novel, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, Dower summarized his studies of Occupied Japan and the impact of war on Japanese society in the view of both the conqueror and the defeated. He demonstrated the “Transcending Despair” (p. 85) of the Japanese people through their everyday lives in the early stages of the occupation. In chapter three, Dower attempted to comprehend the hopes and dreams – as well as the hopelessness and realities – of the Japanese who were in a state of exhaustion and despair. In chapter four, due partly to the food shortage, crime rates rose as people began to steal. Women turned to prostitution while men turned to the black market. Some Japanese were so desperate that they stripped out of their clothing and exchanged it for food. Dower vividly conveyed the depth of loss and confusion that Japan experienced. On the other hand, Kasutori culture flourished in the 1950s as sexually oriented entertainments dominated the commercial world. In chapter five, the people of Japan turned wartime slogans into slogans for reconstruction and peace. They used witty defeat jokes as a way to escape despair. Even though they were defeated, the people of Japan pushed through the misery and sought to reinvent their identity as illustrated through prostitution, the black market, and “Bridges of Language” (p. 168).

They are the ritualization in Japanese culture, women’s implicit expression of love, women’s hierarchy in 18th Japan, and how the landscape of Japan influences the prosperity of Geisha culture.

It is no secret that for centuries, the Japanese woman has been, to most observers, a model of elegance and graceful beauty. A picture of a kimono-clad, modest, and often silent woman has been plastered everywhere, allowing for the upmost passive subjection. If we look deeper into this image of woman, can we tell if this picture is complete? How do these women painted in representative images far in the modern world? The ideal woman in Japan is expected to be both a good wife, and a wise mother. Though these seem like reasonable expectations, there is a much deeper meaning to them that has shown signs of being outdated. During the 1800’s and 1900’s, women were subjected to society’s vision of them, and could not break free for fear of the

Power, prestige, personality, and a pleasing face: Chairman Ken Iwamura of the Iwamura Electric Company has it all. Undoubtedly, such a man would attract the great admiration of many. However, the Kyoto geisha, Sayuri Nitta, stands as an exception. She does not admire the Chairman. Instead, she is obsessed with him, so utterly entranced by his charm as to devote her entire life to having him become her danna. This intense love is the primary reason she transforms from a scared, reluctant young girl, Chiyo Sakamoto, into a manipulative and seductive full-fledged geisha. Analyzing Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha through a psychoanalytical lens reveals that Sayuri Nitta’s fixation upon Chairman Iwamura emerges ultimately due to her