Shigeko Yuki

Shigeko Yuki (由起 しげ子, Sakai, Osaka, December 2, 1900 – December 30, 1969) was a Japanese writer.

Shigeko Yuki
Shigeko Yuki, 1949
Native name
由起 しげ子
Born(1902-12-02)December 2, 1902
Died(1969-12-30)December 30, 1969
OccupationWriter
NationalityJapanese
Notable works"Hon no Hanashi" (A Tale of Books)
Notable awardsAkutagawa Prize
SpouseUsaburo Ihara

Life

Shigeko was born December 2, 1900, in Sakai City.[1]

Her mother died when Shigeko was 10 years old. In 1919, Shigeko enrolled in Kobe Women's College to study music, but dropped out due to objections from her family. Even so, she continued to study music. She studied under the composer and pianist Rolange in 1922. In 1924 she married the painter Usaburo Ihara (伊原宇 三郎, 1894-1976). The following year, she moved to France, where she studied composition and piano until 1929. Together with Ihara, Shigeko had three sons and a daughter before separating in 1945. She would later write of her experience with marriage in Yasashii Otto (やさしい良人, My Tender Husband). Rather than focus on the guilt of breaking up a marriage, Shigeko writes about the need for independence in this work. Resisting tradition and striving for independence are narrative points shared by many of Shigeko's female characters.[2]

After her divorce, Shigeko began writing children's literature professionally. The editor in chief of the magazine Sakuhin (作品), Yagioka Eiji encouraged her to write novels. With her second novel, Hon no Hanashi (本の話, A Tale of Books), Shigeko became the winner of the very first postwar Akutagawa Prize in 1949.[3][2] During this time, Shigeko was incorrectly diagnosed with tuberculosis. The mistake went uncorrected for three years.[2]

An avid reader, Shigeko's favorite works included a Japanese translation of Life and Love of the Insect (1911) by Jean Henri Fabre, as well as the thesis on Kansoku no riron (A Theory of Observation) by Yukawa Hideki. The latter motivated Shigeko to enroll in a course on theoretical physics at Rikkyou University in 1954.[2]

In 1955, Shigeko's 1951 novel, Jochūkko (女中ッ子, Au Pair) was made into a film by Tomotaka Tasaka (田坂 具隆).[1]

Shigeko died on December 30, 1969 of a blood poisoning related to diabetes mellitus.[1]

Works (selection)
  • Yagurumasō (Forest Carnations), 1947
  • Hon no hanashi (本の話)
  • Kokubetsu (Farewell), 1951
  • Yubiwa no Hanashi (The Tale of a Ring), 1951
  • Jochūkko (女中ッ子, Au Pair), 1951
  • Fuyu no Ki (Bushes in Winter), 1953
  • Hyōhakku (Wandering), 1954
  • Akasaka no Kyōdai (赤坂の姉妹, The Akasaka Sisters), 1960
  • Keiyaku Kekkon (契約結婚, Marriage by Contract), 1961
  • Yasashii Otto (やさしい良人, My Tender Husband), 1963

Bibliography
  • Sachiko Schierbeck: Japanese Women Novelists in the 20th Century. 104 Biographies 1900-93. Museum Tusculanum Press, 1994, ISBN 978-8772892689, S. 128–131.

References
  1. "日本ペンクラブ：電子文藝館". 2012-07-15. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2017-10-17.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Schierbeck, Sachiko Shibata; Edelstein, Marlene R. (1994). Japanese Women Novelists in the 20th Century: 104 Biographies, 1900-1993. Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 9788772892689.
  3. Hutchinson, Rachael; Morton, Leith Douglas (2016-06-03). Routledge Handbook of Modern Japanese Literature. Routledge. ISBN 9781317647720.
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