Japanese Literature

In this collection, discover insightful analyses of iconic Japanese literary texts, including The Tale of Genji, which is widely considered the world’s earliest surviving novel. Learn how the different authors portray a diverse set of topics, from interpersonal relationships and identity, to dystopias and the experience of Japanese internment camps during World War II.

Desert Exile

by Yoshiko Uchida

Publication year 1982

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, US History, Race & Racism, World War II, Military & War, World History, Biography

Desert Exile tells the story of the author Yoshiko Uchida and the Uchida family’s experience as Japanese-Americans interned in concentration camps by the U.S. government after the Pearl Harbor attacks during World War II. The book follows a linear narrative arc that details the Uchidas’ experience, while Uchida often reflects discursively, using one point in her life as a vortex for connecting that moment to another memory and in turn creating a larger impression of... Read Desert Exile Summary

Embracing Defeat

by John W. Dower

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Power & Greed, Memory, Grief, War, Colonialism

Tags Asian History, World War II, Politics & Government, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History, Japanese Literature

... Read Embracing Defeat Summary

Empire of the Sun

by J. G. Ballard

Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, War, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Military & War, World War II, World History, Chinese Literature, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction

Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel written by British author J.G. Ballard. In it, Jim, the 11-year-old son of a wealthy British family, is living in the International Settlement in Shanghai, China on the eve of Pearl Harbor, 1941. When Japanese forces attack the Settlement, Jim is separated from his parents. He survives for several weeks by scavenging food from abandoned houses, before being arrested by the Japanese. He is then taken to... Read Empire of the Sun Summary

Hiroshima

by John Hersey

Publication year 1946

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Death, War

Tags Journalism, Asian History, World War II, Creative Nonfiction, World History, Education, Education, Military & War, Japanese Literature, Classic Fiction

Hiroshima, an account of the first atomic bomb used in warfare, is a nonfiction book by John Hersey. Alfred A. Knopf published it in 1946, several months after it first appeared as an article in the New Yorker. The magazine ran the article at the end of August 1946, just after the first anniversary of the dropping of the bomb, devoting the entire issue to the lengthy piece. The issue sold out immediately and was... Read Hiroshima Summary

Hōjōki

by Kamo no Chōmei

Publication year 1212

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Loneliness, Place, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Natural Disaster, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

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In A Grove

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Publication year 1922

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Shame & Pride, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Japanese Literature, Modernism, Asian Literature

Though Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) died at age 35, he is often regarded as the father of the Japanese short story. During the middle of the 20th century, when Japanese cinema became interested in its national history and cultural heritage, Akutagawa’s work was adapted by filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa. Because American Westerns had a close relationship with samurai films, Akutagawa’s stories have even been transposed onto the Wild West, resulting in such films as The... Read In A Grove Summary

In Praise of Shadows

by Jun’Ichirō Tanizaki, Transl. Thomas J. Harper, Transl. Edward G. Seidensticker

Publication year 1933

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Beauty, Globalization, Future, Art

Tags Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The essay “In Praise of Shadows” was originally published in 1933 in Japan and was written by the Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965). His work spanned a wide array of subjects, including the cultural impact of World War II, sexuality, and family relationships. He was especially interested in exploring the cultural differences between Japan and the West. Tanizaki was awarded Japan’s Imperial Prize in Literature in 1949 and wrote novels, short stories, essays, plays, and... Read In Praise of Shadows Summary

Kafka on the Shore

by Haruki Murakami

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Memory, Fate

Tags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

A coming-of-age story that raises many questions about concepts such as good and evil, reality, time, and memory, Kafka on the Shore describes the journey of a fifteen year-old run-away, Kafka Tamura, from his home in Tokyo to the shores of Takamatsu. Kafka flees home because his father, a famous—but violent—sculptor, cursed him: he will kill his father and sleep with his mother and sister. Kafka’s mother fled with his older sister when Kafka was... Read Kafka on the Shore Summary

Kitchen

by Banana Yoshimoto

Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Romance, LGBTQ+

Kitchen is the debut novel of Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto. This short book is a riveting narrative about relationships and how they are tested by extreme circumstances. Kitchen is comprised of two separate stories that are unrelated aside from their focus on interpersonal relationships and the ordeals people endure while on journeys of self-discovery. The overall narrative addresses the themes of death, isolation, and self-forgiveness. By placing its characters in tragic circumstances, the novel investigates... Read Kitchen Summary