Kono Taeko
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
writer and critic and is considered one of the most important contemporary writers of modern Japanese literature. She is best known in English for her collection of short stories
Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories.
.
After the war, she finished her economics degree at Women’s University (currently Osaka Prefecture University
), graduating in 1947. She has said that at this time "she felt a new sense of freedom and had an urge to do something, but was not sure what". She joined literary groups, eventually moving to Tokyo, Japan. She worked full-time and wrote in the evening. In 1962 "Toddler Hunting" (幼児狩り) was published and awarded the Shinchosha Prize. In the early 1960s, just before she was awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize
for "Kani" (Crabs) (蟹) in 1963, she quit her job to focus on her writing. In 1965 she married the painter Yasushi Ichikawa. In 1967 she received the Women's Literary Prize for Saigo no toki and subsequently the Yomiuri Prize
for "A Sudden Voice" (不意の声) in 1968, as well as the Tanizaki prize in 1980 for "A Year-long Pastoral" (一年の牧歌). She also received a literary prize from the Japanese Art Academy in 1984 and the Noma Literary Prize
in 1991 for her novel Miiratori ryōkitan (Mummy-Hunting for the Bizarre, 1990). Kōno became popular and received critical attention after the publication of an English translation of Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories in 1996.
More specifically, her writings explore "the struggles of Japanese women to come to terms with their identity in a traditional patriarchal society". Most of her female characters "reject traditional notions" of femininity and gender roles, their frustration "leads them to violent, often antisocial or sadomasochistic ways of dealing with the world". For example, in "Yōjigari", or "Toddler Hunting", one of her most famous stories, she investigates one woman's dislike of children. The protagonist, Hayashi Akiko, is repulsed by little girls but obsessed by little boys—she even imagines a little boy being beaten by his father to the extent that his innards spill out. She also takes pleasure in the sadomasochistic sex she has with her adult partner. One critic has written that the story "turn[s] the myth of motherhood on its head" while another argued that Hayashi was a representation of demonic women who threatened patriarchy itself. In Fui no koe (1968), what one critic as called a "modern woman's Hamlet", Kōno presents the story of Ukiko, whose dead father haunts her. His ghost instructs her to murder the people who are controlling her life. At the end of the story, it is revealed that all of these incidents are only taking place within her mind and she is "trying in her twisted way to bring meaning to her everyday relationships".
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 and critic and is considered one of the most important contemporary writers of modern Japanese literature. She is best known in English for her collection of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories.
Biography
Taeko Kōno was born April 30, 1926 in Osaka, Japan to Tameji and Yone Kōno; her father was a wholesale merchant. She was ill as a child and as a teenager, she was conscripted to work in a factory during World War IIWorld 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...
.
After the war, she finished her economics degree at Women’s University (currently Osaka Prefecture University
Osaka Prefecture University
, also abbreviated to , is one of the largest public universities in Japan. The main campus is among big Kofun tombs in Sakai, Osaka.- History :...
), graduating in 1947. She has said that at this time "she felt a new sense of freedom and had an urge to do something, but was not sure what". She joined literary groups, eventually moving to Tokyo, Japan. She worked full-time and wrote in the evening. In 1962 "Toddler Hunting" (幼児狩り) was published and awarded the Shinchosha Prize. In the early 1960s, just before she was awarded the prestigious 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...
for "Kani" (Crabs) (蟹) in 1963, she quit her job to focus on her writing. In 1965 she married the painter Yasushi Ichikawa. In 1967 she received the Women's Literary Prize for Saigo no toki and subsequently 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 "A Sudden Voice" (不意の声) in 1968, as well as the Tanizaki prize in 1980 for "A Year-long Pastoral" (一年の牧歌). She also received a literary prize from the Japanese Art Academy in 1984 and the Noma Literary Prize
Noma Literary Prize
The Noma Literary Prize was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association in accordance with the last wishes of Noma Seiji , founder and first president of the Kōdansha publishing company. The Noma Literary Prize has been awarded annually to an outstanding new work published in Japan...
in 1991 for her novel Miiratori ryōkitan (Mummy-Hunting for the Bizarre, 1990). Kōno became popular and received critical attention after the publication of an English translation of Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories in 1996.
Literary analysis
Kōno's writing demonstrate that "underneath the seemingly normal routines of daily life, one may find hidden propensities for abnormal or pathological behavior" and that "reality and fantasy are not so clearly distinguishable from each other". Alternative sexual practices is a theme that permeates Kōno's's writing; sadomasochism, for example, appears in "Ants Swarm" (1964), "Bone Meat" (1971), and Miiratori ryōkitan and Kaiten tobira (Revolving Door, 1970) is about spouse-swapping. Kōno uses these themes to explore sexuality itself and the expression of identity. She combines these elements with illness, childlessness, and the absence of a husband to delve even more deeply into these topics.More specifically, her writings explore "the struggles of Japanese women to come to terms with their identity in a traditional patriarchal society". Most of her female characters "reject traditional notions" of femininity and gender roles, their frustration "leads them to violent, often antisocial or sadomasochistic ways of dealing with the world". For example, in "Yōjigari", or "Toddler Hunting", one of her most famous stories, she investigates one woman's dislike of children. The protagonist, Hayashi Akiko, is repulsed by little girls but obsessed by little boys—she even imagines a little boy being beaten by his father to the extent that his innards spill out. She also takes pleasure in the sadomasochistic sex she has with her adult partner. One critic has written that the story "turn[s] the myth of motherhood on its head" while another argued that Hayashi was a representation of demonic women who threatened patriarchy itself. In Fui no koe (1968), what one critic as called a "modern woman's Hamlet", Kōno presents the story of Ukiko, whose dead father haunts her. His ghost instructs her to murder the people who are controlling her life. At the end of the story, it is revealed that all of these incidents are only taking place within her mind and she is "trying in her twisted way to bring meaning to her everyday relationships".
Selected list of works
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Prizes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 骨の肉 | "Flesh of the Bones" | |||
| 血と貝殻 | "Blood and Shell" | |||
| 不意の声 | "A Sudden Voice" | |||
| みいら採り猟奇譚 | "Cruel tale of a hunter become prey" | |||
| 1960 | 「女形遣い」 | "Uses of a Female Impersonator" | ||
| 1961 | "Toddler-Hunting" | |||
| 1963 | "Crabs" | 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... |
||
| 1967 | Saigo no toki | "The Final Hours" | ||
| 1969 | "A Sudden Voice" | 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:... |
||
| 1971 | Hone no niku | "Bone Meat" | ||
| 1980 | "A Year-long Pastoral" | Tanizaki Prize Tanizaki Prize The Tanizaki Prize , named in honor of the Japanese novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, is one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher... |
English translations
- Kōno, Taeko. Toddler-hunting & Other Stories. Trans. Lucy North and Lucy Lower. New York: New Directions, 1996. ISBN 0811213919.