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Enchi Fumiko

えんち ふみこ

Enchi Fumiko

Pen Names: Enchi Fumi（Birth name (real name)）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1905-10-02 （Mukoinagahira, Asakusa, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan (now Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo)）
Died
1986-11-14 （Ikenohata, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan (home)） age 81
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Mukoinagahira (Asakusa), Tokyo → Fujimi-cho, Kojimachi (now Chiyoda-ku), Tokyo → Yanaka Shimizu-cho (Taito-ku), Tokyo → Zaimokuza, Kamakura (residence/evacuation) → Ekoda, Nakano-ku, Tokyo → Ikenohata, Taito-ku, Tokyo (later years)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Playwright, Translator, Essayist
Active Years
1926-1986
Affiliations
Women's Literary Society (Chair, 1958–1976), Japan Art Academy (Member), Affiliated with publishing houses such as Chuokoron-sha
Memberships
Member, Japan Art Academy, Women's Literary Society (former Chair)
Influenced By
Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, Kyoka Izumi, Nagai Kafu, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Mannen Ueda (father)

Education

Japan Women's University High School (attached)
Period: 1918年入学、4年次終了で中退
Country: Japan
Left school after the fourth year; received private tutoring thereafter.

Awards

Women's Literary Award (Joryu Bungakusha-sho)
1953
Work: Himojii Tsukihi (The Hungry Days)
Organization: Women's Literary Society
Result: 受賞
Noma Literary Prize
1957
Work: Onna-zaka (The Waving Years)
Organization: Noma Culture Foundation
Result: 受賞
Women's Literature Award (Joryu Bungaku-sho)
1966
Work: Namamiko Monogatari
Organization: Women's Literary Society
Result: 受賞
Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize
1969
Work: The One Who Steals Vermilion / Wounded Wings / Rainbow and Shura (trilogy)
Organization: Tanizaki Jun'ichiro Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Japan Literature Grand Prize
1972
Work: Yukan (trilogy)
Organization: Japan Literature Grand Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Persons of Cultural Merit
1979
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (honor)
Result: 顕彰
Order of Culture
1985
Organization: Cabinet Office (Order of Culture)
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Himojii Tsukihi (The Hungry Days)

1954 Short stories / Short story collection

A collection of short stories depicting postwar hardship and women's lives; it marked Enchi's return to the literary world.

oppression of womenobsessionfamily conflict
Translations
  • Partial translations into English exist

Onna-zaka (The Waving Years)

1957 Novel (linked stories / long work)

A long linked novel inspired by her maternal grandmother, portraying the self and love of women suppressed under feudalism; it became a bestseller and was translated into English.

feudal oppressionfemale subjectivitytradition and sexuality
Translations
  • English translation 'The Waving Years' (1980)

Onna-men (Female Mask)

1960 Novel / Short stories

Uses Noh masks and classical motifs to portray women's uncanny nature and obsessions.

Noh masksthe uncannyfemale obsession

Namamiko Monogatari

1965 Novel

A novel reflecting deep knowledge of classics like The Tale of Genji, depicting the fates of women.

classical allusionfemale karmahistory and the individual

The One Who Steals Vermilion

1956 Autobiographical novel / Fiction

An autobiographical-tinged novel; together with 'Wounded Wings' and 'Rainbow and Shura' forms a lauded trilogy.

autobiographical fictionobsessionfemale karma

Enchi Fumiko's Modern Japanese Translation of The Tale of Genji (10 vols)

1972 Translation / Modern-language edition

A modern Japanese translation of Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji, completed after over five years of work, drawing attention from scholars and readers.

classical reinterpretationtranslationThe Tale of Genji

The House Without a Dining Table

1979 Novel

A controversial novel set against the backdrop of the United Red Army incident, depicting family collapse; adapted into a film in 1985.

family breakdownsocial themesimpact of violence
Adaptations
  • [Film] The House Without a Dining Table (1985)

Bibliography

  • Sekishun (Short Plays), 1935
  • Himojii Tsukihi (The Hungry Days), 1954
  • Onna-zaka (The Waving Years), 1957
  • The One Who Steals Vermilion, 1956
  • Onna-men (Female Mask), 1960
  • Namamiko Monogatari, 1965
  • Enchi Fumiko's Modern Japanese Translation of The Tale of Genji, 1972–73
  • The House Without a Dining Table, 1979
  • Kiku Jido, 1984

Adaptations

  • The House Without a Dining Table — film adaptation (1985)

Translations by Author

  • The Tale of Genji (modern-language translation), 1972–73
  • Taketori Monogatari (selected translation for children), 1954

Translations of Works

  • Onna-zaka — English translation 'The Waving Years' (1980)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
classical, aesthetic proseelegant restrained descriptionsdetailed psychological interiority
Recurring Motifs
women's karmaobsession and revengeclassical motifs (Noh masks, kabuki)age and the uncanny

Health

  • tuberculous mastitis
    1938–1939頃 入院・手術
    Required prolonged convalescence
  • uterine cancer (hysterectomy)
    1946
    Postoperative complications including infection and pneumonia led to extended recovery
  • retinal detachment (right eye)
    1969
    Required surgery
  • cataract (left eye)
    1985
    Underwent surgery
  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    1985–1986
    Left with right-side impairment; hospitalized and underwent rehabilitation

Legacy

A leading postwar female author in Japan, celebrated for her classical knowledge and evocative portrayals of women; known for her modern-language translation of The Tale of Genji. Her Order of Culture award confirmed her stature.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Art Academy
  • Women's Literary Society

In Popular Culture

  • Onna-zaka — introduced to English-speaking readers as 'The Waving Years'
  • The House Without a Dining Table — film adaptation in 1985

Trivia

  • Her father was the linguist Mannen Ueda.
  • Started as a playwright before gaining literary prominence as a novelist after the war.
  • Served for many years as chair of the Women's Literary Society.