UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Rethinking the Postwar from Outside: Japanese Literature of Decolonization Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2h9438hb Author Liang, Jiajun Publication Date 2021 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Rethinking the Postwar from Outside: Japanese Literature of Decolonization A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures by Jiajun Liang 2021 © Copyright by Jiajun Liang 2021 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Rethinking the Postwar from Outside: Japanese Literature of Decolonization by Jiajun Liang Doctor of Philosophy in Asian Languages and Cultures University of California, Los Angeles, 2021 Professor Michael Emmerich, Chair This dissertation examines the discursive transformations in the postwar Japanese literary terrain through a transnational lens of decolonization. The transition from wartime to postwar Japan was often considered as a rupture which was figured, at the discursive level, as a centripetal turn away from the imperial legacies and toward the brighter future of recovery and development. Beginning in the 1980s, however, scholars questioned the popular conception of postwar Japan as a self- contained, homogenous space, which failed to account for the massive transnational flows such as repatriation, demobilization, and deportation in the aftermath of the collapse of the empire. This dissertation aims to recuperate the multivalence in the postwar cultural landscape through a careful and critical analysis of literary works. In particular, it proposes to attune our interpretative frame to include not only what is explicitly depicted in fictions but also the ostensibly insignificant details that may seem impertinent to the narratives’ development. Through a contrapuntal reading, this dissertation hopes to show new ways to approach literary works not ii simply as a national literature of postwar Japan, but rather as belonging to a transnational literature of decolonization. In chapter 1, I analyze the tropes of madness and metamorphosis in Abe Kōbō’s Kemono-tachi wa kokyō o mezasu, which not only constitute a powerful critique of the autobiographical narratives of return (hikiage-mono) but also present the opportunity to reflect on the possibility of decolonization. In chapter 2, I compare two contemporaneous fictions: Kyū Eikan’s Honkon and Ishihara Shintarō’s Taiyō no kisetsu and show that literary awards, while supposedly based on objective and purely “aesthetic” qualities, are complicit in creating discursive boundaries within the literary establishment. In chapter 3, I examine the contradiction between cannibalism and modernity in Ōoka Shōhei’s Nobi and Musashino fujin and suggest that Japan’s coloniality, far from dissipating with the demise of the empire, was reincarnated within the postwar society itself. Finally, in the epilogue, I compare the anime film Hotaru no haka by Takahata Isao and argue that the contrasting color schemes compel the viewers to reflect on the lingering traces of the war in the postwar society. iii The dissertation of Jiajun Liang is approved. Michael Berry Katsuya Hirano Seiji M. Lippit Michael Emmerich, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2021 iv To the memory of my father, My beacon of hope and inspiration v Table of Contents List of Figures Acknowledgements Vita Introduction: “What Time is it?” The Postwar as a Layered Temporality 1 Chapter 1: Impossible to Return: Madness, Metamorphosis, and Postwar Japan 25 Chapter 2: Politics and Aesthetics of the Postwar: Structure of Desire and Literary Awards 97 Chapter 3: Devouring the Outside: Colonialism and Cannibalism in Postwar Literature 180 Epilogue: The Polyvalent Postwar 251 Bibliography 276 vi List of Figures Figure 1: Light-box advertisements for the Memorial Museum 2 Figure 2: The red-washed Sannomiya Station 255 Figure 3: Sannomiya Station in normal lighting 255 Figure 4: Poster of Hotaru no haka, original 258 Figure 5: Poster of Hotaru no haka, brightened 258 Figure 6: Seita’s spirit approaching the dying Seita 260 Figure 7: Seita and Setsuko gazing at modern-day Kōbe 265 Figure 8: Seita reminiscing the naval review 271 Figure 9: Celebratory illuminations after the naval review 271 Figure 10: Celebratory illuminations after the naval review 271 vii Acknowledgements More than a decade has passed since I was initiated into the world of Japanese literature. Along this intellectual journey, I have many to thank. It is their kindness and generosity that made this project possible. When I first came to study in the United States, I never thought that I would end up pursuing a doctorate in Japanese literature had I not taken a translation course with Christopher D. Scott, who opened a door for me to a fascinating world of language and literature. I have also benefited tremendously from the guidance from Satoko Suzuki, Ritsuko Narita, and Arthur Mitchell during the four years at Macalester College. At the University of Michigan, where I spent two years as a master’s student, I had the good fortune to work with Jonathan Zwicker, Leslie Pincus, and Hitomi Tonomura, whose knowledge and passion always inspired me. I am particularly thankful to Jonathan Zwicker, who not only taught me how to think critically and rigorously, but also introduced me to many literary and theoretical texts that became foundational in this study. During my time as a doctoral student at UCLA, I am deeply grateful to my committee members, whose guidance and generosity have made my graduate career both exhilarating and enjoyable. Michael Emmerich has been a wonderful advisor and mentor, who is always patient, encouraging, and supportive. I have benefited tremendously, both academically and professionally, from his mentorship. I am greatly indebted to Seiji Lippit, whose knowledge and insights in modern Japanese literature have helped me refine this project in many ways. I have always enjoyed having conversations with Katsuya Hirano, whose breadth of knowledge in Japanese history and critical theory has been a constant source of motivation and inspiration. I have also learned a great deal from Michael Berry, whose expertise in Chinese literature and film has always offered me a fresh perspective. It has been an incredible privilege and pleasure to be able to work with them. viii I have also benefited from working with other wonderful professors at UCLA, including Torquil Duthie, Christopher Hanscom, Satoko Shimazaki, and Junko Yamazaki. I am grateful to get to know Matsuie Masashi and Furukawa Hideo, who offered exciting courses and new perspectives that allowed me to read and think about Japanese literature differently. I would like to thank Tomoko Bialock at the Young Research Library, as well as all the staff members in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures and the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies. I am also tremendously grateful to the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, the Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies, the Tadashi Yanai Initiative, and the UCLA Graduate School for their generous funding that has supported my graduate studies and research abroad. During my research year at Waseda University in Japan, I was fortunate to be able to work with Toba Kōji, whose incredible scope of knowledge inspired my research in new directions. I would also like to thank everyone at the reading group at Waseda. Toba Kōji, Andre Haag, Naoki Yamamoto, Eric Siercks, Fang-Ru Lin, and Jon Pitt generously shared their insights and suggestions that influenced the formation of this project. I would also like thank many colleagues and friends for their constant support and encouragement. Thank you to Dan Abbe, Ho Fai Cheng, Julia Clark, Lin Du, Rory Huang, Mari Ishida, Jaehyun Jo, Sung Eun Kim, Sujin Lee, Wangmeng Li, Fang-Ru Lin, Casey Martin, Kate McGuire, Kim Mc Nelly, Chiara Pavone, Eric Siercks, Wakako Suzuki, and Danica Truscott. Last but certainly not least, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my family, without whom I would not have been able to see this project through. Thank you to my wife and my best friend, Yiran Xu, for her patience, encouragement, understanding, and above all, for making my life full of joyous and memorable moments. And finally, thank you to my mother, Ziping He, for her unconditional love and unwavering support, and to my late father, Qimin Liang, to whom this dissertation is dedicated. ix Vita Education 2009-2013 B. A. Macalester College Majors: Japanese, Economics, Mathematics (Applied and Statistics) 2013-2015 M. A. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Japanese Studies 2018-2019 Research Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan Fellow Yanai Initiative Research Fellowship Publication “Impossible to Return: Abe Kōbō, Repatriation, and Postwar Japan.” The Journal for Japanese Studies, vol. 48, no. 2 (forthcoming in summer 2022). Translation Ching, Leo. “Ouran tiji de Wushe shijian: Lun Jindao Youzi de Taiguo yeman de” [Musha Incident, Incidentally: Tsushima Yūko’s Exceedingly Barbaric]. In Wushe shijian: Taiwan lishi yu wenhua duben [Musha Incident: A Reader in Taiwan History and Culture]. Taipei: Rye Field, 2020. Conference Presentations “Between Praising and Prizing: Politics of Recognition in Japanese Literary Awards.” Association for Asian Studies Conference in Asia, July 2019. Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. “‘Perhaps Japan Doesn’t Exist Anywhere’: