was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

writer active during the

Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...

of Japan. Her maiden name was Shinoda Kikuko.

Biography

Kawakami Kikuko was born in

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

. She graduated from Heijo Higher Girls' School and from the vocational course at Yamawaki Higher Girls’ School. In 1924 she accompanied her husband to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, then under Japanese rule, and lived there until 1931. In 1927, the

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

'' awarded her a prize for her novel, ''Aru Minikui Biganjutsu-shi'' ("An Ugly Beautician"), which it then ran as a serialized novel in the newspaper. After her return to Japan in 1931, she and her retired husband moved to

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

Kanagawa prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

, so that she could receive medical treatment for an illness contracted in Korea. In 1942, she visited the Philippines to report on field propaganda efforts and to tour the islands. She returned in 1943. She continued to live in Kamakura until her death in 1985. While living in Kamakura, she had the opportunity to make the acquaintance of some of the Kamakura literati, including

Hayashi Fusao was the pen name of a Japanese novelist and Literary criticism, literary critic in Shōwa period Japan. He is known for his early works in the proletarian literature movement, although he later became a strong ultranationalism, ultranationalist. ...

Kawabata Yasunari was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal a ...

and

Yosano Akiko Yosano Akiko (Shinjitai: , seiji: ; 7 December 1878 – 29 May 1942) was the pen-name of a Japanese author, poet, pioneering feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji era as well as the Taishō and early Shōwa eras of ...

(who taught her ''

tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

).'' Some of her poems were accepted by the literary journal ''

Myōjō was a monthly literary magazine published in Japan between April 1900 and November 1908. The name ''Myōjō'' can be translated as either Bright Star or Morning Star. History and profile The magazine was established in 1900. It was the organ of ...

.'' In 1936, Kawakami published ''Fuyubi no Kage'' (''Shadow of a Winter's Day''), ''Saigetsu'' (''Time and Tide''), and ''Metsubo no Mon'' (''Gate of Ruin'') in

Bungakukai is a Japanese monthly literary magazine published by Bungeishunjū as a oriented publication. History and profile The first version of ''Bungakukai'' was published from 1893 to 1898. The founders were the first generation romantic authors in t ...

, a Japanese monthly

literary magazine A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays, along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letter ...

. All three stories were acclaimed by

literary critics Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

, and ''Metsubo no Mon'' was awarded the eleventh Bungakukai Prize, and was nominated for the 4th

Akutagawa Prize The is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes. History The ...

. Following this recognition, Kawakami wrote a number of novels in quick succession, including ''Hikari Honokanari'' ("Faint Light"), ''Biko'' ("Dim Light"), and ''Hanazono no Shosoku'', published in ''Bungakukai''. Her style was objective and unemotional, and she depicted the ever-increasing oppression under Japan's growing

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Kawakami withdrew from literary activity, but in her later years published ''Kagero no Banka'' ("Elegy on Mirage").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawakami, Kikuko 1904 births 1985 deaths Japanese women poets Japanese women novelists Writers from Shizuoka Prefecture 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese novelists 20th-century Japanese poets

Biography

See also

References