I think the other reviewers have admirably covered the plot so I will just add a few comments. Unfortunately in this edition (Vintage) there were so many mistakes probably due to using spell checker and not proof reading to see that similar length words have been used with totally non grammatical sense. Itakura rescues her. Yukiko, put off by his insensitivity, declares that she cannot marry him. Just after this, Sachiko is informed that Taeko has fallen severely ill at Okubata's house. The Makioka Sisters is a textbook case of a four-star book. No_Favorite. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. It helped me a great deal even though it completely changed some of the plot. 2 hrs 21 mins. How to Listen with Intention: The Foundation of True Connection, Communication, and... Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic (Book of Japanese Mytholo... To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It depicts the decline of the family's upper-middle-class, suburban lifestyle as the specter of World War II and Allied Occupation hangs over the novel. Tsuruko, the oldest, who is married, acts as the head of the household by nature of her age. Please try again. It depicts the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka with parallels to the seasons in Japan. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. As the novel opens, the Makiokas' pride has led them to dismiss the numerous marriage proposals they have received for Yukiko in the past, but, now that their fortunes have declined, the rate of proposals has slowed, and Yukiko, now thirty, remains without a husband. To protect the Makiokas’ reputation, Teinosuke asks Okubata to remain silent about Taeko's behavior. Falling cherry blossoms are a common symbol of impermanence, a prevalent theme of the novel. EMBED. share. His name is Mimaki, an illegitimate son of a viscount. Itakura and Taeko are already acquainted; he photographs her dolls. Each sister was distinct so I had no confusion as to which one I was reading about. Taeko leaves the house in tears and stays away for two days. Unable to add item to List. In June, Tatsuo's eldest sister alerts Sachiko of a marriage prospect, a Mr. Sawazaki from a prominent Nagoya family. Yet a great writer always knows the persistent power of language. The popularity of the novel attracted the attention of government censors, who ordered that publication be halted, saying: “The novel goes on and on detailing the very thing we are most supposed to be on our guard against during this period of wartime emergency: the soft, effeminate, and grossly individualistic lives of women.”[2], Decline and decay are prominent themes of The Makioka Sisters and are emphasized by the repetition of certain events. At one point, a flood overwhelms their small town of Osaka. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. The once-prominent Makioka family undergoes a decline over the years, partially as a result of the Allied Occupation during the '40s. Though not enthusiastic about the match, the Makiokas agree to a miai as a pretense for bringing Yukiko back to Ashiya. Desperate to find someone to take care of her, they keep lowering their standards. The succession of Yukiko's suitors, the Makiokas’ yearly cherry-viewing excursions, and the increasing severity of illness in the novel form a pattern of “decline-in-repetition”. Tatsuo demanded a retraction, but instead, the newspaper ran a correction, replacing Yukiko's name with Taeko's. [7] The unfavorable comparison of Tokyo to Kansai "in the context of the war years, [is] a subversive reminder of the nonmilitary roots of Japanese culture and a sort of 'secret history' of Japan from 1936 to 1941". Tanizaki Jun’ichirō was born in Tokyo in 1886 and died in 1965. The youngest sister, Taeko, is having tea at the impeccably decorated home where her sewing teacher, Mrs. Tamaki, lives with her son Hiroshi. The fact that he is even a candidate for their sister's hand is a sign of how far they have fallen. has been added to your Cart. There was so much of the story in the long inner thoughts of the characters. Taeko objects, but Yukiko pushes her, saying that she is indebted to Okubata for everything he has given her. One night they find themselves out with a drunk, selfish crackpot who has no money, but who is supposed to be related to a man who works for an important utility company. So I went to NetFlix and found they had a 1983 Japanese film which I immediately got. He and his family will move to Tokyo, and it is decided that Yukiko and Taeko should go with them. It's exceedingly well written, represents a unique point of view, educates us about our past as world citizens, and a lot of it is quite interesting and compelling. Sun Riming, Chen Jing, Liang Shoujian, trans. Kon Ichikawa's "The Makioka Sisters" (aka "A Fine Snowfall") centres on the lives of four upper middle class Japanese sisters during the lead up to the Pacific War. [6] By extolling the virtues of the Kansai region in contrast to Tokyo, Tanizaki may have been making a political statement. THE MAKIOKA SISTERS (1983) 35th Anniversary Screenings Wednesday, August 22, at 7 PM Royal, Town Center, Playhouse Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present the latest offering in our Anniversary Classics Abroad program, Kon Ichikawa’s poignant family drama, The Makioka Sisters.One of the great Japanese masters, Ichikawa is perhaps less widely celebrated than … The unmarried Yukiko is a hostage to her family’s exacting standards, while the spirited Taeko rebels by flinging herself into scandalous romantic alliances. Please try again. The Makioka Sisters (細雪, Sasameyuki, "light snow") is a novel by Japanese writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki that was serialized from 1943 to 1948. Itani brings Sachiko a marriage prospect, a man named Segoshi. Many of the characters and events in The Makioka Sisters are loosely based on real people and events: Sachiko is modeled after Tanizaki's third wife, Matsuko, and Sachiko's sisters correspond to Matsuko's. The Makioka Sisters (細雪, Sasame-yuki, "light snowfall") is a 1983 drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa based on the serial novel of the same name by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. I highly recommend this book, Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2010. Ceretti Borsini, Olga and Hasegawa Kizu trans. While in Tokyo, Taeko tells Sachiko that she is four months pregnant with Miyoshi's child. Like Austen’s work, The Makioka Sisters often functions as a comedy of manners (especially during a disastrous lunch meeting between Yukiko and a suitor who would rather be studying fish). The Makiokas are pressed to answer Mimaki's marriage proposal. Junichiro Tanizaki was born in Tokyo in 1886 and lived there until the earthquake of 1923, when he moved to the Kyoto-Osaka region, the scene of his novel. The Makioka Sisters is a historical novel by Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki. The only real drama is the account of a flood during the rainy season which almost claimed the life of Taeko, the youngest, who also came close to dying of dysentery and giving birth! In the wake of the newspaper incident, Taeko finds refuge in doll making—she is quite skilled, and her dolls are sold in department stores. You feel like you are living with these people - even though it is an entirely different culture. When his wife and collaborator, screenwriter Natto Wada, retired in 1965, he moved away from features and concentrated on documentaries and animated films (Wada died as Ichikawa was preparing for the production of The Makioka Sisters). Later, Itani presents another marriage prospect for Yukiko. 21 Feb. 2011. Tanizaki's novel, the story of four sisters of a once affluent family that has fallen into decline, moves along at a leisurely pace for most of its 500 pages. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. After the conclusion of World War II, the novel was published in three parts: Book 1 in 1946, Book 2 in 1947, and Book 3 in 1948. Upon her return, Sachiko hears that Taeko has taken up again with Okubata. I had read this book some twenty-five years ago, and re-reading it now enjoyed it even more, very much more. Reading "The Makioka Sisters" is a bit like taking a long train journey on a local train that stops at every station. It follows the lives of the wealthy Makioka family of Osaka from the autumn of 1936 to April 1941, focusing on the family's attempts to find a husband for the third sister, Yukiko. The potential suitor, Hashidera, is an attractive candidate, but he is uncertain if he wants to remarry. The two older sisters work diligently to arrange a marriage for the third sister, Yukiko. Sachiko's husband, Teinosuke, does not resemble Tanizaki, however. The novel's title, Sasameyuki (細雪), means lightly falling snow and is also used in classical Japanese poetry. The Makioka Sisters is a film adaptation (the second film adaptation, if the fact that Letterboxd lists another film of the same name from the 1950s is any indication) of a serialized novel following the four adult sisters of a wealthy Japanese family. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2015, A wonderful story, marred by lack of proof reading in this edition (Vintage Classics), Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 3, 2020, Having lived in Kyoto for a short while and often visiting Osaka and Kobe this book reminded me of the back streets of Sakyu-ku in Kyoto and a life style sadly disappearing. Now I want to look up more of Tanizaki's writings. 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