BA Thesis an Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People In
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BA thesis in Japanese Language and Culture An Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People in Japanese Fiction and Literature Analysis of the historical evolution and commercialization of BL and yuri genres, and social practice of its consumer culture Bára B.S. Jóhannesdóttir Supervisor Kristín Ingvarsdóttir May 2021 FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Japanskt Mál og Menning An Overview of Stereotyped Portrayals of LGBT+ People in Japanese Fiction and Literature Analysis of the historical evolution and commercialization of BL and yuri genres, and social practice of its consumer culture Ritgerð til BA-prófs 10 ECTS Bára B.S. Jóhannesdóttir Kt.: 210496-2039 Leiðbeinandi: Kristín Ingvarsdóttir Maí 2021 1 Abstract This essay will explore the history of the portrayal of LGBT+ people in Japanese fiction, starting from The Tale of Genji, a novel from the early 11th century that is widely considered to be the first classic in history, and to the proper establishment of what is known as the BL (boys’ love) and yuri genres. BL, as the name suggests, is a genre that features the relationship between two male characters, usually in a romantic and/or sexual nature, while yuri is between two female characters. There will be a short examination of LGBT+ portrayal in historical literary works and art before moving onto a more detailed recounting of modern fiction and television. Some ancient literature will be reviewed, comparing real-life societal norms to their fictional counterparts. The focus will mainly be on the introduction of the BL genre, the historical evolution of it, the commercial start of it, the main components that make up the genre, and why it is as popular as it is, a well as an examination of the culture surrounding the fans of the genre. How did it become commercialized? Why has it managed to capture the hearts of many Japanese fans, as well as fans around the world? What is the mindset of the consumer and how do they practice fan culture, especially as a ‘social practice’? Lastly, this thesis will include an analysis on the evolution and diversification of the genre over the 2010s and 2020s, by reviewing a select few contemporary fictionalized works. 2 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................ 5 History – Earliest appearances in literary works ....................................................... 7 Japanese aesthetics and creation of beautiful characters ......................................11 Commercialization of the genre – 1970 to the present ............................................15 Progression of female same-sex love from real life to fiction ..............................23 Social practice among BL consumers ...................................................................28 Evolution of the genre – the 2010s and 2020s .........................................................30 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................33 References ................................................................................................................34 3 Table of Figures Figure 1 Takabatake, K. (n.d.). Tattoo. Painting of a beautiful wearing only a Japanese loincloth, with a sword pointed towards him. [Painting]. [URL] ......13 Figure 2 Hagio, M. (n.d.) Edgar, titular character of the manga The Clan of Poe. [Illustration]. ©Hagio Moto/Shogakukan Inc. [URL] .......................................17 Figure 3 (1982) Cover of the 4th issue of JUNE magazine, published in May. [Illustration]. ©San Shuppan. [URL] ...............................................................19 Figure 4 Yamagishi, R. (1975). Cover of compiled volume of The Two of the White Room. ©Yamagishi Ryo̅ko/Ribon Comic. [URL] ................................25 Figure 5 Ikeda, R. (1974). A panel in vol.7 of The Rose of Versailles. Andre (dark hair) declaring his eternal love for Oscar, by saying that the possibility of loving anyone other than Oscar is impossible, he will swear it a thousand or ten thousand times if Oscars needs to hear it. ©Ikeda Riyoko/Shueisha. [URL] ...27 Figure 6 Hokusai. (1830-32). Under the Wave of Kanagawa/The Great Waves of Kanagawa. [Woodblock print]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY, United States. [URL] .................................................................................29 Figure 7 Kamatani, Y. (2015). Vol.1, p.59. Panel from Our Dreams At Dusk where the lead character, Tasuku, cries in regret and frustration for having to lie and hide his sexual identity, to please those around him. "Even though I'm about to die, why don't they?" ©Kamatani Yuhki/Shogakukan. [URL] .........................32 4 Introduction BL, or boys’ love, is a genre in Japanese fiction that came to be during the Sh표̅wa period, or the period in which Emperor Sh표̅wa Hirohito ruled (1926-1989). The commercial genre was originally created by women, for other women. The first term coined for it was sh표̅nen-ai, which literally translates to “boys” and “love”. Sh표̅nen-ai was first coined in the 1970s when sh표̅jo manga creators, largely women, started to commercially and non-commercially create works that mainly starred beautiful young men in male homosexual relationships. Sh표̅jo manga are Japanese graphic novels geared towards a younger female, or sh표̅jo, audience. Commercial works were mainly manga and novels, however, audio dramas, animations, games, and more can be BL themed as well. Sh표̅nen-ai was more frequently used for commercial works. Non- commercial works are often fan created parodies in the form of manga, written stories, or illustrations. These fan-created amateur works are called d표̅jinshi in Japanese, meaning “zines by like-minded individuals” (McLelland & Welker, 2015). D표̅jinshi can also be referred to as “self- published fan-fiction”, according to Saito (2011). The fans who create d표̅jinshi are called circles, or saakuru, and are either groups or individuals, who sell their works at comic conventions. Another term for sh표̅nen-ai rose in the 1980s, often used to describe non-commercial works. That term is yaoi, an acronym for yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi, which can be translated to ‘no climax, no point, no meaning’. As d표̅jinshi is often a parody of pre-existing characters from other media, these yaoi stories had no overarching plot but were rather a snippet into the characters’ daily lives or an alternative scenario from the norm, with no explanation for the background of the story. Some say that yaoi has now become a subgenre defined by stories of passionate homosexual love, usually in the context of self-published work (such as d표̅jinshi) that parody pre-existing media, anime (Japanese animation shows), manga, games, and more (Takeuchi, 2010). Boys’ love, or b표̅izu rabu, however, was coined in the 1990s and generally used to describe commercial works. It is abbreviated to BL. The word “BL” will henceforth be used as a kind of umbrella term in this essay, similarly to how it is used in the book Boys love manga and beyond: History, culture, and community in Japan, as yaoi is too specific and sh표̅nen-ai has mostly fallen out of use (McLelland & Welker, 2015). 5 But how did this genre come to be? Homosexuality did not become fictionalized the 1970s. In fact, it was first seen in literature much earlier. This essay will expl표re its history and evolution towards commercialization and beyond. To understand the uniquely and historical Japanese view on homosexuality, one must analyze pre-modern literature first. 6 History – Earliest appearances in literary works The Tale of Genji or Genji Monogatari written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, or Heian Period, regales the adventures and tumultuous love affairs that Hikaru Genji, the son of the emperor and a lowly concubine, experiences. In the novel, Genji, who is snubbed in his pursuits of the ‘lady of the locust shell’, chooses to spend his time with the lady’s younger brother, Kogimi, instead. Genji ends up finding Kogimi lovelier than his sister. A sexual encounter between the two is never explicitly stated, however, many have interpreted their relationship as such. (Pflugfelder, 1992). Another LGBT+ interpretation of The Tale of Genji is the character Kaoru. He is Genji’s foster son and intensely adores another male character and father figure, the Eighth Prince, to the point of imprinting the image of the prince to two of the prince’s daughters, first Oigimi and then Ukifune, after the prince dies. Kaoru could only be platonically involved with Oigimi because she resembled her mother more than her father. However, he could not enter a sexual relationship with Ukifune because of her gender. After reconciling with the prince’s death, he ends up sexually involved with Oigimi. (Bargen, 1991). While the Tale of Genji is certainly the first to portray LGBT+ relationships in any capacity, it is not the last to do so during the Heian and later periods. Another novel with LGBT+ themes is called Torikaebaya Monogatari from the 12th century. It delves into gender identity rather than sexuality. The novel follows the tale of two siblings, Himegimi, who was born female but identifies as male during a large part of his lifetime, and Wakagimi, born male but identifies as female for a big part of her life. However, the siblings end up switching their respective societal identities halfway through the book. The setting of the novel had a strong