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Yellow Rose

Yoshiya Nobuko

Lesbian Love and Loss in Yoshiya Nobuko's Yellow Rose
alinas@middlebury.edu
Yellow Rose, written by the well-known Japanese shōjo writer Yoshiya Nobuko, follows the story of a recent college graduate named Katsuragi Misao. In order to avoid marriage after her graduation, she accepts a teaching position at an all-girls school. On her way to the school, she sees a girl holding a bouquet of yellow roses ... read more

Yellow Rose, written by the well-known Japanese shōjo writer Yoshiya Nobuko, follows the story of a recent college graduate named Katsuragi Misao. In order to avoid marriage after her graduation, she accepts a teaching position at an all-girls school. On her way to the school, she sees a girl holding a bouquet of yellow roses who manages to catch the train at the last second. Once she arrives at the school she realizes the girl is one of her students, a girl named Urakami Reiko. After Reiko gets soot in her eye on a school trip, Miss Katsuragi takes her to an eye doctor where she is struck by her beauty. The two start to fall in love and over the summer Reiko's family invites Miss Katsuragi to stay at their second home in Okitsu. The two lovers agree that when Reiko graduates she will go to Tokyo with Miss Katsuragi and attend college. After she graduates college the two plan to study abroad in America. However, their dreams are shattered when Reiko's mother reveals that their family has made a longstanding promise to marry Reiko to a family friend. After she asks Miss Katsuragi to help convince Reiko that she must marry this person Miss Katsuragi is left conflicted and heartbroken.

 

I enjoyed the story although the ending left me disappointed. My favorite part was the portrayal of lesbian love and the descriptive way in which Yoshiya Nobuko describes the romance between Miss Katsuragi and Reiko.  My least favorite part of the text was the ending which left me feeling discontented and wanting more. I would recommend this story to other readers because of its unique portal of same-sex love, specifically readers who are interested in queer Japanese literature and women's literature. I would rate this story 3 out of 5 stars because the story pulled me in and the descriptive writing keep me engaged with the text, however, the ending left me wanting more and feeling disappointed in the characters. I would have preferred a more imaginative and creative ending as opposed to the more realistic perspective that Yoshiya Nobuko takes in her ending to the story.

 

Bibliography 

 

Nobuko, Yoshiya, and Sarah Frederick. Yellow Rose. 2nd ed., Kindle ed., Expanded Editions, 2016.

 

Total Votes : 1 Vote Up Edit Reply

alinas@middlebury.edu
Daily Question 3/14: In the article Not That Innocent the author mentions that Yoshiya Nobuko's writing style was emotional, romantic, and flowery. In other words her writing was exactly what males writers considered to be good women's literature and in their eyes Yoshiya Nobunko would be seen as a true/good woman writer. However within this desired and typical style of " women's writing" she was still able to challenge mainstream shojo's emphasis on marriage and coquetry and redefine feminine purity as both a mature concept and a form of rebellion through her own writing. Do you think Yoshiya Nobunko should have been more rebellious or at least more obviously rebellious or does her more subtle form of rebellion actually become more effective?
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cetrillard@middlebury.edu
3/14: I wonder why Yoshiya made the choice to focus her characterization and writing style on traditional gender norms and a "flowery" style. Was it to make up for her being openly lesbian? What external pressures did she endure as an openly gay woman and how did that influence her writing?
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sgregory@middlebury.edu
Nobuko's works serves an important role to understand the cultures of sexuality in Japan in the 1900s. Her work goes outside the typical with her depictions of lesbianism. I think it is interesting that Nobuko's work was often criticized for being flowery as she proves herself to be a woman outside the norms expected of her with her work. I am wondering how Nobuko's relationship to her sexuality influenced her work -particularly why she criticized her writing for being too feminine and normal when in fact it was quite unique and underrepresented at the time?
 
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sgregory@middlebury.edu
I also wonder what male critics thought of her writing because on the one hand it encompassed the ideals of how woman should write but it also served as a redefinition for the culture of sexuality in Japan.
 
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nlara@middlebury.edu

In the secondary source, the author compares Yoshiya Nobuko w Britney Spears. What was the purpose of this?

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jayhoc@middlebury.edu
One current problem in the media is the hypersexualization of LQBTQ women in the media - did Yoshiya Nobuko face any of this? I wonder if the media at the time focused on her own personal life instead of examining and appreciating the substance of her works.
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mmflores@middlebury.edu
 I am interested in the representation of flowers in Yoshiya Nobuko's works. In American culture, flowers and virginity have a strong relation to one another. Yet in Yoshiya Nobuko's work, flowers (in a romantic setting) have the possibility of multiple analyses. Based on her travels to the west, was the use of flowers in her works purposeful? Furthermore, does the metaphor of flowers create a more of a sexual connotation instead of an innocent love connotation?
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swittig@middlebury.edu
I found the detail that Yoshiya added about Reiko's wedding dress being embroidered with yellow roses to be very interesting. I feel like it could be interpreted in many different ways and would love to hear other's views as to why she included it. I personally took at as painful irony as well as a silent nod to the person Reiko actually wanted to be marrying.
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nquizon@middlebury.edu
What distinguished Yoshiya Nobuko's work from "critically acclaimed" writers, and how did her popularity exclude her from such circles?
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mgromero@middlebury.edu
Reading Yoshiya's "Yellow Roses," apart from the uses of roses, the descriptions of both female character's nature and clothing is really interesting. Specifically Urakami's clothes are bold, full or print and color, potentially to show her youthfulness and boldness, yet she is quite shy and flustered throughout the story. I wonder if that was intentional? Its clear Katsuragi pays close attention to what Urakami wears, is it from pure attraction or was it something else?
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egavin@middlebury.edu
Did Nobuko's "flowery" style of writing allow her work to be perceived in a more positive light than it otherwise would have? I would imagine including lesbian elements in her stories would be frowned upon at the time, so I am wondering if her flowery/more complex style of writing maybe allowed those elements to slip through the cracks.
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rurbina@middlebury.edu
Daily Question 3/14: Did Yoshiya Nobuko write with a a feministic tone while still tackling on problems with gender and marriage to appeal to the audience at the time and in a way persuade them to have a different opinion without attacking them, or did she write this way because she of her internalized struggles with these concepts?
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sabrinak@middlebury.edu
Daily Question 3/14: Since Yoshiya Nobuko was openly lesbian, did that have an effect on the way that she wrote and how her writing was perceived?
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ttanchanco@middlebury.edu
I find it interesting that Yoshiya Nobuko wrote a lot about promiscuity and nodded toward lesbianism, in addition to making references to (and was raised with) Christianity. I'm wondering if these more modern ideas of having multiple partners, in addition to homosexuality was a result of her travels west, and I'm wondering how these may complicate or fit in with her writings regarding Christianity, as both can be seen as polar opposites.
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ayepizmedina@middlebury.edu
 

It was said that in Nobuko's writing it was explicit enough to require her or her editor to convert long passages to x’s or other blank marks to avoid censorship." If they had published an uncensored version of her works, do you think she would have been criticized more? Would she have been less or more popular?

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alinas@middlebury.edu

Annotated Bibliography

 

Dollase, Hiromi Tsuchiya. (2003), Early Twentieth Century Japanese Girls' Magazine Stories: Examining shōjo  Voice in Hanamonogatari (Flower Tales). The Journal of Popular Culture, 36: 724-755. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5931.00043

This article serves the purpose of educating readers about shōjo culture and stories from early twentieth-century magazines. The establishment of the shōjo genre, which explored feminism and sexuality in the dreamlike realm of girlhood, created a space for girls to unite across cultural and geographical borders and gain power. Unlike boy's magazines, shōjo magazines provided an independent community for young girls that was separate from male standards. Critics, particularly male ones, denounced authors like Yoshiya Nobuko for creating literature they considered to be immature and disgusting. However, the fact that shōjo literature did not submit to male language or standards was precisely the point because reality is dominated by male society. The article highlights the strong escapist mentality that provided a way for girls to resist patriarchal society with tears and emotional expression. The article also discusses lesbian love and female sexuality in shōjo literature and discusses the works and contributions of Yoshiya Nobuko. The work is written for an academic audience that is interested in learning more about shōjo  culture. The article is very relevant to the topic of Yellow Rose and Yoshiya Nobuko. One strength of this article is that it features excerpts from shōjo stories so that even if readers have not read the stories before they can become at least somewhat familiar with them enough to understand the content of the article. 

 

Dollase, Hiromi Tsuchiya. “Yoshiya Nobuko’s ‘Yaneura No Nishōjo ’: In Search of Literary Possibilities in ‘shōjo ’ Narratives.” U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal. English Supplement, no. 20/21 (2001): 151–78. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42772176.

The purpose of this article is to discuss Yoshiya Nobuko's story Two Virgins in the Attic. Although the article is not about Yellow Rose, it's relevant because it discusses another one of Yoshiya Nobuko's famous works which readers of Yellow Rose might consider reading next. Sexuality, eroticism, and lesbianism in shōjo literature are discussed as ways for girls to escape the harsh male gaze and the author explains that Yoshiya Nobuko blended feminist ideas into her stories by criticizing patriarchal society. The endings of shōjo stories signify the collapse of the fantasy shōjo world as the characters are forced back into reality as they leave girlhood to become women. The article explains Japanese girl culture and explores what makes literature women's literature. The audience for this article is academics or scholars of Japanese Literature. An interesting feature and strength of this article is that it includes information on Yoshiya Nobuko and her background which may be of interest to her readers. 

 

Friedman, E., 2016. Yuri Studio: A Very Brief History of Yuri by Erica Friedman. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8Te2epyC_4> [Accessed 8 April 2022].

This video, which was first presented at the Tokyo Comics Showcase on May 3, 2016, provides a very brief history of 100 years of yuri. It begins by highlighting some of Yoshiya Nobuko's famous works. It then explores the idea of modern girls and girl princes in manga and discusses portrayals of sexuality. The purpose of the video is to inform viewers about the history of yuri and it seems to be targeted toward an audience who is already at least somewhat familiar with the topic. It is relevant because it gives information about Yoshiya Nobuko and how yuri evolved after her publications to become modern-day yuri. A special and unique feature of this video is that the creator is an expert in the field and she provides links to more resources. She also has longer videos that go more in-depth on the topic and include interviews with other experts. One weakness however is that the video is not as visually entertaining as the other videos because it only shows slides with text and images as opposed to anime clips. 

 

Obscura, B., 2018. Queer Japanese TBR | Pride Month + Japanese Lit | 2018. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GOB2RM238E> [Accessed 8 April 2022].

This video is by a YouTuber who reviews queer literature, and the purpose of this video is to highlight Japanese queer literature. Throughout the video, the speaker briefly describes stories including, Comrade Loves of the Samarai by Saikaki Ihara, Yellow Rose by Yoshiya Nobuko, My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi, Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, Japanese Magnolia by Rei Kimura, The Cage of Zeus of Sayuri Ueda, and Bloom Into You by Nakatani Nio. The video is intended for people interested in reading queer Japanese literature and it's relevant because it talks specifically about Yellow Rose and Yoshiya Nobuko. The main weakness of this video is that not much information is given about Yoshiya Nobuko as it mostly focuses on giving brief overviews of the 8 novels, so the entire video is not necessarily relevant unless viewers are looking for other stories like Yellow Rose. 

 

Suzuki, Michiko. “Writing Same-Sex Love: Sexology and Literary Representation in Yoshiya Nobuko’s Early Fiction.” The Journal of Asian Studies 65, no. 3 (2006): 575–99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25076082.

The purpose of this article is to explore same-sex love and sexuality in Yoshiya Nobuko's literary works. The article argues that Yohsiya Nobuko offered new possibilities for understanding lesbian love and Japanese female identity by establishing same-sex love as normal and celebrating female sexuality which was mainly defined in binary terms of deviant or pure. Most relationships between girls were viewed as harmless, but once they became serious relationships they were seen as unnatural and masculine. While Yoshiya Nobuko's stories challenged these ideas the strong prevalence of tragedy in her stories also commented on society's oppressive nature toward women. The article discusses how grammar, writing style, and language style were used to add additional meaning to her work. Yoshiya Nobuko's magazine Black Rose is mentioned and the author claims that Yoshiya Nobuko emphasized same-sex love as "the second path" and defended women's rights to express their sexuality. The article was written for a scholarly audience who is familiar with Japanese literature and culture. One strength of this article is that it contains excerpts from Yoshiya Nobuko's work including Yellow Rose. One weakness is that the article is somewhat repetitive. 

 

Yukari, Fujimoto, and Lucy Fraser. "Where Is My Place in the World?: Early shōjo  Manga Portrayals of Lesbianism." Mechademia 9 (2014): 25-42. doi:10.1353/mec.2014.0007.

The purpose of this article is to explore the lack of modern lesbian shōjo manga. The author argues that the decrease in girls' schools may have led to the loss of lesbian love stories, like those published by Yoshiya Nobuko, and that demand for lesbian love stories decreased because lesbianism introduced reality and thus interfered with the fantasy that shōjo manga seeks to create. The article describes various shōjo stories and identifies common phenomenas such as the tendency for lesbian love to end in death, particularly suicide, or the tendency for lesbian love to include sisterhood and shared blood. In contrast to manga that portrays gay men, lesbian relationships face harsher judgment from society. The article is relevant because it talks about lesbian love and Yoshiya Nobuko. The audience for this article is people who are familiar with Japanese literature and shōjo manga. One strength or unique feature of this article is that it features the cover art for various shōjo manga. 

 

Zeria, 2018. Industrialization, Girls' Schools, and the Birth of the Yuri Genre. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHOFQxfIpwc> [Accessed 8 April 2022].

 

This video seeks to summarize yuri, explain common tropes in the genre, and illustrate how elements from the pre-war period created the basis for yuri. It explains the historical background of yuri and the rise of shōjo novels. It is a very relevant source because it talks about Yoshiya Nobuko and her significance in the genre and even calls her the grandmother of yuri and shōjo manga. It gives an overview of Yellow Rose as well as some of her other works. The video concludes by focusing on yuri writings of the 20th century and authors such as Ikeda Riyoko and Yamagishi Ryoko. The video is intended for a beginner audience that is curious to learn more about yuri. Something special that I enjoyed about the video is the mix of anime with historical photos and videos. The main strength of this video is that it is very accessible and comprehensive as well as visually entertaining. 

 

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