Fumiko Enchi has worked on Onnazaka for eight years, which has been translated to English under the title of The Waiting Years. The novelist-critic Takami Jun describes it as “a rare jewel among masterpieces of modern literature”.
The novel reveals how the family system of Meiji Japan (1868-1912) leads to an exploitation of the women and treats various problems which the protagonist Tomo Shirakawa faces. The role of the concubines provides a profound double structure. The novel is a fictional transfor-mation of Enchi’s grandmother Ine’s painful life who endured a polygynous marriage with a man from a samurai family. The protagonist’s suffering and pain expresses Enchi’s own pro-test against the system and the maltreatment of women.
First published in pieces in journals, it came out in a book form in 1957. During that time women were resisting the government to reintroduce the traditional Japanese family system. Enchi published several critical novels in the late 1960s criticizing the patriarchal social order. The novel won the Noma Literary Prize, one of Japan’s most prestigious literary awards. Usually the prize is only given to one work, but in 1957 it was awarded jointly to this novel and to Uno Chiyo’s Ohan, which glorifies women’s submissiveness to her husband as a true feminine virtue. In this way, women opposing the “ie” system and men supporting it should both be pleased.
To understand the situation of Japanese women during the Meiji period it is necessary to ana-lyze men’s behavior and to reveal the political and historical background. Therefore, the first section of the paper deals with men’s roles. The second section deals with the depiction of women.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction, Summary
2 The World of Men
2.1 Yukitomo
2.1.1 Historical Political Context
2.1.1 Public and Private Face
2.2 Michimasa
3 The World of Women
3.1 Women in Confucian thought
3.2 Situation of the Wife: Tomo
3.2.1 Tomo’s Growth
3.2.2 Influence of Buddhism
3.2.3 Liberation for Tomo
3.3 Discourse on Polygny
3.3.1 Historical Background
3.3.2 Suga and Yumi
3.3.3 Men’s attitude towards concubinage
3.4 Motherhood
3.4.1 Tomo and Etsuko
3.4.2 Suga
3.4.3 Toshi and Kin, a maleless household
4 Conclusion
5 Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines gender roles and the exploitation of women within the framework of the patriarchal "ie" family system in Meiji Japan, as depicted in Fumiko Enchi’s novel "The Waiting Years". The research explores how the protagonist, Tomo Shirakawa, navigates social expectations, Confucian morality, and systemic oppression.
- The influence of Meiji-era political and historical contexts on domestic life.
- The role of Confucianism and Buddhism in shaping the "good wife, wise mother" ideal.
- The psychological evolution and resistance of the protagonist against traditional gender constraints.
- The structural impact of polygyny and concubinage on female agency.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2.3 Liberation for Tomo
One evening after Tomo had visited a young maid of Michimasa, who has an illegitimate child by one of Tomo’s grandsons, she climbs up the hilly road back to her house. It is a cold winter day, and she starts to feel unusual exhausted. The hill is a symbol for all the forces and repressions that she had to face and overcome. Pounds points out that Tomo was “waiting throughout her life for the only vengeance her Confucian upbringing allows her to imagine: for her husband to die first”. The Japanese title Onnazaka also refers to the gentler of two slopes leading to a shrine, or more idiomatically “woman's fate”.
Tomo can look through the windows of the small houses along the road and sees harmonious families. This makes her think about the time she has spent with her family, which makes her become aware of her own loneliness and emptiness: “She had suddenly seen the futility of that somehow artificial life on which she had lavished so much energy and wisdom.” (190)
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction, Summary: Introduces the novel and the paper's aim to analyze the political and social conditions of Meiji Japan through the experiences of women.
2 The World of Men: Analyzes the patriarchal authority and character of Yukitomo and his son, focusing on their political backgrounds and private behavior.
3 The World of Women: Discusses the societal expectations placed on women, including the "good wife, wise mother" ideal and the impact of Confucianism and Buddhism.
4 Conclusion: Summarizes the novel's critique of the Japanese family system and discusses how Tomo's endurance eventually evolves into a form of silent resistance.
Keywords
Fumiko Enchi, The Waiting Years, Meiji Japan, Gender roles, Confucianism, Buddhism, Polygyny, Concubinage, Patriarchal system, Tomo Shirakawa, Motherhood, Women's literature, Social history, "ie" system, Gender oppression.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
This paper focuses on the depiction of gender roles and the exploitation of women within the Meiji-period Japanese family system as portrayed in Fumiko Enchi’s novel "The Waiting Years".
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers the influence of Confucian and Buddhist thought, the historical and political background of Meiji Japan, the dynamics of polygyny, and the role of motherhood.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to reveal how the "ie" system exploited women and to analyze the protagonist Tomo's journey from a submissive wife to a woman asserting her individual will.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work employs a literary and historical analysis, utilizing secondary scholarly literature to contextualize the fictional narrative within the socio-political reality of the Meiji era.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines the role of men in the household, the restrictive education of women, the practice of concubinage, and the complex mother-daughter relationships depicted in the text.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Keywords include Enchi Fumiko, Meiji Japan, gender roles, Confucianism, polygyny, patriarchal system, and motherhood.
How does Tomo challenge the patriarchal system?
Tomo challenges the system through her silent internal resistance, her secret accumulation of independent financial means, and ultimately by rejecting a traditional Buddhist burial as her husband's wife.
What role do the concubines play in the narrative?
The concubines serve as symbols of the "ie" system's control over female lives and highlight the emotional and social vulnerability of women under the prevailing customs of that era.
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- Saskia Guckenburg (Autor:in), 2011, "The Waiting Years” by Fumiko Enchi, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/187467
