Ayako Sono
Encyclopedia
is a Catholic
Japanese
writer.
She went to the Catholic Sacred Heart
School in Tokyo after elementary school. During World War II
, she evacuated to Kanazawa
. After writing for the fanzines La Mancha and Shin-Shicho (新思潮: New Thought), she was recommended by Masao Yamakawa, an established critic at the time, to Mita Bungaku
, for which she wrote Enrai No Kyaku Tachi (遠来の客たち: Visitors from Afar), one of the shortlisted stories for the Akutagawa Prize
in 1954. In 1953, she married Shumon Miura (三浦 朱門), one of the members of Shin-Shicho.
The naming of “the Bas Bleu Era” (才女時代: Saijo-Jidai) by the writer and critic Yoshimi Usui famously described the prosperous activities of female writers including Sono or Sawako Ariyoshi—one of her contemporary who had published many reputable books that are still being read.
In the history of Japanese literature, Sono belongs to the category of “the Third Generation” together with Shusaku Endo
, Shōtarō Yasuoka
, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Nobuo Kojima, Junzo Shono
, Keitaro Kondo, Hiroyuki Agawa
, Shumon Miura, Tan Onuma
, and Toshio Shimao.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
writer.
She went to the Catholic Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
School in Tokyo after elementary school. 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 evacuated to Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
. After writing for the fanzines La Mancha and Shin-Shicho (新思潮: New Thought), she was recommended by Masao Yamakawa, an established critic at the time, to Mita Bungaku
Mita Bungaku
Mita Bungaku is a Japanese literary journal founded in 1910 at Keio University which published early works by young Japanese authors such as Yōjirō Ishizaka, Kyōka Izumi, Hakushū Kitahara, Jun'ichirō Tanizaki,, Takitarō Minakami, Kojima Masajirō, and Ayako Sono.-Founding:Mita Bungaku was founded...
, for which she wrote Enrai No Kyaku Tachi (遠来の客たち: Visitors from Afar), one of the shortlisted stories for the Akutagawa Prize
Akutagawa Prize
The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...
in 1954. In 1953, she married Shumon Miura (三浦 朱門), one of the members of Shin-Shicho.
The naming of “the Bas Bleu Era” (才女時代: Saijo-Jidai) by the writer and critic Yoshimi Usui famously described the prosperous activities of female writers including Sono or Sawako Ariyoshi—one of her contemporary who had published many reputable books that are still being read.
In the history of Japanese literature, Sono belongs to the category of “the Third Generation” together with Shusaku Endo
Shusaku Endo
Shūsaku Endō was a 20th-century Japanese author who wrote from the unusual perspective of being both Japanese and Catholic...
, Shōtarō Yasuoka
Shōtarō Yasuoka
is a Japanese writer.-Biography:Yasuoka was born in pre-war Japan in Kōchi, Kōchi, but as the son of a veterinary corpsman in the Imperial Army, he spent most of his youth moving from one military post to another. In 1944, he was conscripted and served briefly overseas...
, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Nobuo Kojima, Junzo Shono
Junzo Shono
was a Japanese novelist. A native of Osaka, he began writing novels after World War II. He won the 1954 Akutagawa Prize for his book Purusaido Shokei...
, Keitaro Kondo, Hiroyuki Agawa
Hiroyuki Agawa
is a Japanese author born on December 24, 1920, in Hiroshima, Japan. He is known for his fiction centered on World War II, as well as his biographies and essays.- Literary career :...
, Shumon Miura, Tan Onuma
Tan Onuma
was a noted Japanese author. Onuma received his degree in English literature from Waseda University in 1942, and in 1958 became a Waseda professor in the Faculty of Letters. He received the 1969 Yomiuri Prize for Kaichūdokei and in 1989 was named a member of the Japan Art Academy.- References :*...
, and Toshio Shimao.
Novels
Her major novels include- Tamayura (たまゆら: Transience), which portrays the nihilistic daily life of man and woman
- Satō-gashi-ga-kowareru-toki (砂糖菓子が壊れるとき: When a Sweetmeat Breaks), modeled on Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
and made into a film starring Ayako Wakao (IMDb) - Mumeihi (無名碑: A Nameless Monument), featuring the construction sites of the Tagokura Dam and the Asian Highway
- Kizu-tsuita-ashi (傷ついた葦: Bruised Reed), which describes in a most dry style a life of a Catholic Father
- Kyokō-no-ie (虚構の家: The House of Fiction), a bestseller depicting domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
- Tarō-Monogatari (太郎物語: Taro Story), which features her son Taro as the protagonist
- Kami-No-Yogoreta-Te (神の汚れた手: The Soiled Hands of GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, translated into English as The Watcher from the Shore (ISBN 0-87011-938-9)), on the theme abortion and dignity of life problems, with a gynecologist as the protagonist - Tenjō-no-ao (天上の青: Heavenly Blue, translated into English as No Reason for Murder (ISBN 4-925080-63-6), a crime novel based on real serial murder and rape cases by a man named Kiyoshi ŌkuboKiyoshi Okubowas a Japanese serial killer. Between March 31, 1971 and May 10, 1971, he raped and murdered eight women, ages 16 to 21. He used a pen name, Tanigawa Ivan .- Early life :...
, which tries to describe the extremity of love - Kyō-ō-Herode (狂王ヘロデ: Herod the Mad), which portrays the half life of Herod the GreatHerod the GreatHerod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
, who is notorious for the Massacre of the InnocentsMassacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
, through the eye of a mute lute player called "Ana" (hole). - Aika (哀歌: LamentationsLamentationsLamentations may refer to:*The Book of Lamentations*"Lamentations of Jeremiah the Prophet" and "Genre of the Lamentations", two articles on the music for Tenebrae*Laments by 16th-century Polish poet Jan Kochanowski...
), a record of the dramatic experience of a nun Haruna, who encountered the RwandaRwandaRwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
Genocide.
Shortstories
- Nagai-kurai-fuyu (長い暗い冬: Long, Dark Winter), which is known as a masterpiece and anthologized often
- Rakuyō-no-koe (落葉の声: The Voice of Falling Leaves), which describes the end of Father Maximilian KolbeMaximilian KolbeSaint Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.He was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and...
- Tadami-gawa (只見川: The River Tadami), which sings of a love torn apart by World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
Essays
- The two million bestseller Dare-no-tame-ni-aisuruka? (誰のために愛するか: For Whom Do You Love?)
- Kairō-roku (戒老録: A note of Admonition to the Old) on the way how we behave in old age
- II-hito-o-yameruto-raku-ni-naru (「いい人」をやめると楽になる: Stop Being ”Nice”, and You'll Be Liberated), a collection of epigrams
Political and Social Activities
- Sono is also known as a conservativeSocial conservatismSocial Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
. - In 2000, she welcomed Alberto FujimoriAlberto FujimoriAlberto Fujimori Fujimori served as President of Peru from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with the creation of Fujimorism, uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of...
, ex-President of PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, to stay at her house. - After the death of Ryoichi SasakawaRyoichi Sasakawawas a Japanese businessman, politician and philanthropist born in Minoh, Osaka. He was accused but acquitted of being a Class A war criminal after World War II, was a self-proclaimed fascist, kuromaku , and the founder of The Nippon Foundation...
, one of the biggest rightist leaders, Sono took over his position as the head of the “Nippon Foundation,”(日本財団) whose funds come from 3 percent of the profits of the boat raceHydroplane racingHydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.-International Professional Outboard Hydroplane Racing:...
s all over Japan. As the chairperson, she had focused on welfare and assistance of undeveloped countries, until 30 June 2005, when her term of office finally expired after nine and a half years. The position of the foundation chairman was taken over by Yohei SasakawaYohei Sasakawais chairman of The Nippon Foundation, the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, and Japan's Ambassador for the Human Rights of People Affected by leprosy. As chairman of The Nippon Foundation, Japan's largest charitable foundation, he is seen as a pioneer in guiding...
. - She works as the president of an NGONon-governmental organizationA non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
named “Kaigai-senkyosha-katsudo-enjo-koenkai” (JOMAS :Japan Overseas Missionaries Assistance Society) to help Japanese missionaries devoting their lifetime in foreign countries. - She has been selected as a Person of Cultural Merits in 2003, following her Husband’s honor in 1999.
- She was nominated as director of the Japan Post Holding Co.'s board by Shizuka KameiShizuka Kameiis a Japanese politician.-Early life:He was born in the city of Shōbara in Hiroshima Prefecture into a poor family. He studied at the department of economics at University of Tokyo and worked his way through school through various jobs, including singing at a cabaret.Upon graduation in 1960, he...
, minister in charge of postal reform, in October 2009.