A Japanese old classic work as reviewed by Laogumnerd Phengphian Reads

Laogumnerd Phengphian Reads takes a look at the Japanese classic book The Makioka Sisters. First published in instalments between the years of 1943 and 1948, it follows the lives of 4 sisters over the time period of five years. The plot is set in the time immediately preceding World War Two and examines the dynamics of an upper-middle class household in pre-war Japan.

The storyline of the work centers around four sisters, Yukiko, Sachiko, Tsuruko and Taeko and their mission of searching a husband for Yukiko, the 2nd youngest sister. Even though there are continuous concerns about Yukiko’s ever-increasing years, marriage proposal after marriage proposal is refused for insignificant justifications. The circumstances sets into focus the snootiness of the reserved upper-middle-class families and their incapacity to adjust to the swiftly transforming times. This dilemma of finding a suitable husband is contrasted with the insubordinate youngest sister Taeko who, dismissing the social customs of what is expected of a young lady from a ‘good family’, decides to take on a job to earn money and date people outside of her social ranking. The almost six-hundred-page novel sometimes progresses at a slow rate but is not only notable for the glances into the day to day life of a classic Japanese household, but additionally for the illustrations of the state and sentiments of a land on the edge of war. The plot takes place in a small town near Osaka and in Tokyo, which are repeatedly compared by the writer. Osaka is pictured as a virtuous location respectful of heritages which is brought in contrast with Tokyo’s dysfunction and bleakness. A great number of real-life events are depicted, such as the Kobe flooding that happened in 1938, a significant storyline detail in the novel. The detailed illustrations of routine banal concerns and obsessions of a conservative Japanese household is the reason why Laogumnerd Phengphian Reads thinks this is a book of terrific cultural and historical value.

The 1983 motion picture of the same name condenses the 5-year story into one year and deletes many scenes which are found in the book, but still provides a striking artistic description of the novel. Fabrics and kimonos, cherry blossoms, and old-fashioned Japanese structure and design are all a big aspect of this movie making an inviting artistic journey. Laogumnerd Phengphian Reads recommends this film as a great visual accompaniment to the novel.

The story’s Japanese title is less literal than its English version and translates as ‘lightly falling snow’, an image often made use of in traditional Japanese poetry. It is typical for Japanese pieces of art to be given titles containing poetic nature depictions. The indirectness of such a title may perhaps seem unusual to a Western reader, however, as the novel proceeds the reason why this imagery was selected as titular to the story ends up being more pronounced. This image of falling snow is a suggestion for falling cherry blossom petals, similar to large fluffy flakes of snow. Anyone vaguely aware of Japanese culture is aware that flourishing cherry trees, or sakura, are a crucial bit of this society. Plum and Cherry blossom viewing, or hanami, is still commonly practiced by both young and old by going to parks during the months of March and April. Incidentally, cherry blossom viewing is a significant part of the plot, which refers to both the admiration of the wonder of the moment, as well as the transforming times for the Makioka household. Laogumnerd Phnegphian Reads advocates this epic to everyone enthusiastic about learning more about the ways of life of old Japan.