Japanese American writing form an Immigrants Perspective

                                                                                                                                                                

DIVYA  SWAMY

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4PSENG

There has been a drastic redefinition of what native Japanese literature is with geographic mobility and the interface with various ethnic groups. Japanese writing in English has largely been seen as a representation of Japanese ethnicity and their trial and tribulations as Immigrants. Japanese culture that these peoples carry along with them across international borders has today grown excessively cosmopolitan and cross cultural. The quest of “literary nationality”, in a country like America can get a little problematic due to the multiplicity of ethnic groups and large influx of immigrants.

In 1865 many young men from japan travelled to the United States of America to study medicines, sciences, law, philosophy and aesthetics. They also came to carve a niche for themselves in the west. The best known amongst such men was Yone Noguchi. He arrived in the United States   in 1893 and worked as a news reporter for a Japanese language newspaper in San Francisco. There he was a student cum house boy at the poet, Jaquin Miller’s house on Oakland. In 1904 Noguchi returned to japan over the Russo- Japanese war.

Toshio Mori (1910-1980), writer of Japanese descent to be facilitated and recognised the American literary was inspired by Sherwood Anderson. He wrote prose based on the life descriptions of Japanese’s emigrants. The publication of his first book was deterred by the outbreak of World War- II. He later went on to make his literary debut in 1949 with yakohama, California which was later followed up by, “women form Hiroshima” and “the chauvinist”. As one can see from the above mentioned authors these authors have had a strong political motivation and the contextuality  of the text must not be overlooked .

The tradition of Japanese American literature can be traced back to first generation immigrants through the traditions that they have kept alive through newspapers and other mediums such as novels and short stories. Between 1907 to 1932, Okina was a resident of the United States. He played a major role in the Japanese- American literary world in the pacific North West. One of his works include an essay known as “declaration of emigrant literature” (1920).

Japanese- American writing therefore becomes a product of the curious east and the west and the manner in which the east adapts to the needs and demands of the west.