Symbolization of Shonan's Woman: Yagi Yoshinori's "Woman" Research

Abstract

Woman is a novel by Yoshinori Yagi published in Shincho in May 1956, has been overlooked in the field of literary research. Written from third-person perspective and set in Singapore during WWII, Woman tells the story of Sugi, a Japanese reporter, recollecting to A-Ing his experiences as a wartime correspondent. A-Ing is a Chinese woman who migrated to Singapore during the war as a so-called new immigrant. The purposes of this study are twofold. First, I aim to explore how representations of a vibrant Singaporean woman supporting a lethargic man are formed in the novel. Second, I investigate whether this characterization goes beyond the individual case to form a symbolization of women in Singapore during WWII.

Keywords

• Yoshinori Yagi
• Shonan
• Japanese Military Administration Department
• Wartime in Singapore