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Masako Toyoda

とよだ まさこ

Toyoda Masako

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1922-11-13 （Honjo, Tokyo (now Sumida-ku)）
Died
2010-12-09 （Hospital in Tokyo, Japan） age 88
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Spent elementary school years in Yotsugi (now Katsushika Ward) → Tokyo (majority of life)

Career

Occupations
Essayist
Active Years
1937-2010
Influenced By
Miekichi Suzuki (influence via composition instruction tradition), Kenichiro Oki (teacher/mentor)

Awards

Japan Essayists Club Prize
1986
Work: Parting of Flowers: Akiko Tamura and I
Organization: Japan Essayists Club
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu (Composition Class)

1937 Essays / child-authored writings (included in anthology)

A collection of essays/compositions written in her childhood; became a bestseller, later adapted to film and released as a reading record.

childhoodeducationpoverty
Adaptations
  • [Film and spoken-word record] Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu (film adaptation)

My China Travelogue: Journey to Qingxiang

1943 Travelogue

A travelogue based on an inspection trip to China during wartime, describing areas such as Qingxiang.

war-time travelChina

Oyuki

1964 Novel (portraying her mother)

A long-form novel depicting her mother; published in two parts.

familywomen's lifepoverty and livelihood

On Praising the Cultural Revolution (including 'Undying Yan'an')

1967 Travel writing / political essay

Works including accounts of travel to China during the Cultural Revolution, containing laudatory passages.

ChinaCultural Revolutionpolitical stance

Parting of Flowers: Akiko Tamura and I

1985 Essays / memoir

A work recounting her reunion with actress Akiko Tamura and events up to Tamura's death. Winner of the Japan Essayists Club Prize.

friendshipshow businessremembrance

A Life Kept Alive: Writing While Undergoing Rehabilitation

1996 Essays / memoir

Written while receiving rehabilitation after a cerebral infarction; documents illness and recovery.

illness and recoverylate liferebuilding life

Bibliography

  • Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu (Chuo Koronsha, 1937)
  • Zoku Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu (Chuo Koronsha, 1939)
  • Clay Masks (Chuo Koronsha, 1941)
  • My China Travelogue: Journey to Qingxiang (Buntaisha, 1943)
  • Mebae (Rironsha, 1959)
  • Oyuki (Rironsha, 1964)
  • Proletarian Cultural Revolution: New China Travelogue (Godou Sangyo Shuppanbu, 1967)
  • Parting of Flowers: Akiko Tamura and I (Mirai-sha, 1985)
  • A Life Kept Alive: Writing While Undergoing Rehabilitation (Iwanami Shoten, 1996)

Adaptations

  • Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu (adapted to film and released as a spoken-word record)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
essayisticreflectivedirect, conversational tone
Recurring Motifs
war and memorypoverty and laborwomen's lives and friendshipsexperiences in China

Health

  • cerebral infarction (stroke)
    1996-10（発症）以降
    Continued writing while undergoing rehabilitation; had reduced physical ability
  • obstructive jaundice
    2010-12（死去時）
    Cause of death

Legacy

She rose to fame for compositions written in childhood and became a long-standing essayist after the war. Her experiences in China and wartime influenced her works. She continued to write into old age while undergoing rehabilitation, and local research groups have promoted reevaluation of her legacy.

Archives

  • Masako Toyoda related materials (local archives in Katsushika Ward, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • Influence from the bestseller status and film adaptation of 'Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu'

Quotes

  • I thought the Communist Party was on the side of the poor, but it was not.
    Source: Parting of Flowers: Akiko Tamura and I (1985)

Trivia

  • Her childhood compositions included in 'Tsuzukata Kyoshitsu' became a bestseller, but initial royalties did not go to Toyoda due to publication credit issues.
  • She was at one point adopted by Kenichiro Oki, but later had a falling-out with Oki's wife.
  • From the 1970s she appeared on numerous TV programs and variety shows.