Like I promised in my previous post, today's post is about how I settled on a Miyazaki film reference for my pseudonym and blog title. It was very important to me that if I was going to do this blog thing which I had carefully avoided for so long, I was going to do it right. Everything about this project had to be reflective of me. That meant the title had to be some Japanese reference (in English, of course), but it also had to have a feminist twist. (Note: when I use the word "feminism," it always means the primary dictionary definition, i.e., the correct meaning of the word.)
At first, I thought it would be more appropriate to choose a reference to a famous Japanese feminist, like Raicho Hiratsuka or Fusae Ichikawa or maybe Akiko Yosano (though she may have been too much of a literary rather than a political icon for me). After all, non-Japanese persons may be surprised, but Japan did have a very vibrant feminist movement in the first half of the 20th century. I ultimately decided against pursuing this route, thinking that using references to real-life historical figures can come with baggage...you know, these are real people, and they probably did a thing or two that I don't really agree with (I know Raicho did).
So, after some thought, my thoughts wandered to general cultural references, and failed to find a good reference that encompassed both Japanese culture and my desired expression of female strength. Japanese culture does not lack an idea of a strong woman...strength is simply expressed in a different way than in Western culture. Not to digress too much from my topic, but non-Japanese people who have a sparknotes knowledge of Japanese culture often believe that the term "yamato nadeshiko" refers to a shy femininity and just that. In reality, one of the most prominent qualities of a woman referred to as a yamato nadeshiko (which is a floral metaphor) is a quiet strength that belies her delicate beauty. But whatever the meaning of this term and its pros and cons, it was clear that it did not fit what I was looking for. This is one brand of a woman's strength, and I certainly do respect it (maybe a topic of a later post?), but it's clear that this brand does not fit my loudmouth-whitewashed self.
By the time I reached pop culture references, I was a bit weary. Japanese pop culture has not exactly been great in its treatment of women (think AKB 48). But then I remembered the existence of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I want to write a more comprehensive post on this later, but Miyazaki seems to me to be very natural in his feminism. It's not something that he consciously or deliberately injects into his work, but it's often just there. Or at least, that's what it feels like to me. But like I said, more on that at a later time.
Princess Mononoke is my favorite Miyazaki film (and one of my favorite movies of all time) for a multitude of reasons, one of which is the strength and centrality of female characters. Sure, the protagonist is a guy, but the "Princess" is not a prop to enhance the male protagonist's courage/strength/what-have-you, and the entire story is heavily driven by the female characters. The central women (including the wolf goddess, Moro) are raw, autonomous, and even violent in the way that men are often depicted in films. And their strength is absolutely beautiful. I suppose I could have chosen a pseudonym referring to the complicated villainess (Eboshi) or Moro, but I'm sticking with the title character because I like that she does not yet have the maturity of the other two. After all, I am much older than San (who is supposed to be 15 if I remember correctly), but I fully admit I'm still a work in progress--as a feminist, as the (Americanized and whitewashed) Japanese woman I am proud to be, and just as a human being.
At first, I thought it would be more appropriate to choose a reference to a famous Japanese feminist, like Raicho Hiratsuka or Fusae Ichikawa or maybe Akiko Yosano (though she may have been too much of a literary rather than a political icon for me). After all, non-Japanese persons may be surprised, but Japan did have a very vibrant feminist movement in the first half of the 20th century. I ultimately decided against pursuing this route, thinking that using references to real-life historical figures can come with baggage...you know, these are real people, and they probably did a thing or two that I don't really agree with (I know Raicho did).
So, after some thought, my thoughts wandered to general cultural references, and failed to find a good reference that encompassed both Japanese culture and my desired expression of female strength. Japanese culture does not lack an idea of a strong woman...strength is simply expressed in a different way than in Western culture. Not to digress too much from my topic, but non-Japanese people who have a sparknotes knowledge of Japanese culture often believe that the term "yamato nadeshiko" refers to a shy femininity and just that. In reality, one of the most prominent qualities of a woman referred to as a yamato nadeshiko (which is a floral metaphor) is a quiet strength that belies her delicate beauty. But whatever the meaning of this term and its pros and cons, it was clear that it did not fit what I was looking for. This is one brand of a woman's strength, and I certainly do respect it (maybe a topic of a later post?), but it's clear that this brand does not fit my loudmouth-whitewashed self.
By the time I reached pop culture references, I was a bit weary. Japanese pop culture has not exactly been great in its treatment of women (think AKB 48). But then I remembered the existence of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. I want to write a more comprehensive post on this later, but Miyazaki seems to me to be very natural in his feminism. It's not something that he consciously or deliberately injects into his work, but it's often just there. Or at least, that's what it feels like to me. But like I said, more on that at a later time.
Princess Mononoke is my favorite Miyazaki film (and one of my favorite movies of all time) for a multitude of reasons, one of which is the strength and centrality of female characters. Sure, the protagonist is a guy, but the "Princess" is not a prop to enhance the male protagonist's courage/strength/what-have-you, and the entire story is heavily driven by the female characters. The central women (including the wolf goddess, Moro) are raw, autonomous, and even violent in the way that men are often depicted in films. And their strength is absolutely beautiful. I suppose I could have chosen a pseudonym referring to the complicated villainess (Eboshi) or Moro, but I'm sticking with the title character because I like that she does not yet have the maturity of the other two. After all, I am much older than San (who is supposed to be 15 if I remember correctly), but I fully admit I'm still a work in progress--as a feminist, as the (Americanized and whitewashed) Japanese woman I am proud to be, and just as a human being.
タイトルとハンドルは強い（日本人）女性にちなんだものに
ブログを始めようと決めた時、英語と日本語で書くんだから、タイトルとハンドルは絶対日本関連にしようと思った。それに加えて、やっぱり自分の『味』も出したいし、ある種日本人としてのアイデンティティとフェミニズムを反映させたものが理想。こんなところから名前さがしを始めた。（注：私は、フェミニズムという言葉を本来の正しい辞書的な意味、つまり、「女性の社会的、政治的、経済的権利を男性と同等にし、女性の能力や役割の発展を目ざす主張および運動」という意味でしか使いません。）
最初は、平塚らいてう、市川房枝、与謝野晶子あたりに因んだ名前を選ぶのが、知的にも無難なのだろうかと考えたのですが、実在の人物に頼ると、色々と問題が出る可能性があるかと思って、やめることにした。次に、大和撫子にかけた名前を考え出そうかと思ったのですが、あまりに自分のイメージと格差があるので、これもボツ。最終的には、ポップ・カルチャー・ネタにならざるを得ないのかと思った。外国で日本のポップ・カルチャーというと、まずはmangaやAKB４８系アイドルと結び付けられる。こんな事もあって、ちょっとがっくりきていたところ、日本には「世界の宮崎」がいることを思い出した。また後日、宮崎映画におけるフェミニズムについて書きたいと思うが、宮崎映画には意図的なもの感じさせない、自然なフェミニズムが表れていることが多い気がする。そのようなところも好きだし、凄いものだと私は思う。
その話題はともかく、私が一番好きな宮崎映画は、ご存知の通り、『もののけ姫』だ。何故好きかという理由は沢山あるが、主人公が男でありながらも、様々な強さを持った女性（モロは人間ではないが）が、物語を展開させていくことが大きいと思う。これらの女性キャラクターは、荒々しく、周囲の者に束縛されることもなく、時にはたくましいとも思える暴力性を垣間見せる。このような強さが美しく思える。ハンドルとして、エボシ御前やモロ自身に因んだ名前を選ぶこともできたが、私には、まだまだ未熟さを抱えたサンが似合っていると思う。年齢的には１５歳のサンよりは大分年上の自分ですが、フェミニストとして、（そりゃあアメリカかぶれですけど）誇りを持った日本女性として、人間として、まだまだ未熟者ですから。
最初は、平塚らいてう、市川房枝、与謝野晶子あたりに因んだ名前を選ぶのが、知的にも無難なのだろうかと考えたのですが、実在の人物に頼ると、色々と問題が出る可能性があるかと思って、やめることにした。次に、大和撫子にかけた名前を考え出そうかと思ったのですが、あまりに自分のイメージと格差があるので、これもボツ。最終的には、ポップ・カルチャー・ネタにならざるを得ないのかと思った。外国で日本のポップ・カルチャーというと、まずはmangaやAKB４８系アイドルと結び付けられる。こんな事もあって、ちょっとがっくりきていたところ、日本には「世界の宮崎」がいることを思い出した。また後日、宮崎映画におけるフェミニズムについて書きたいと思うが、宮崎映画には意図的なもの感じさせない、自然なフェミニズムが表れていることが多い気がする。そのようなところも好きだし、凄いものだと私は思う。
その話題はともかく、私が一番好きな宮崎映画は、ご存知の通り、『もののけ姫』だ。何故好きかという理由は沢山あるが、主人公が男でありながらも、様々な強さを持った女性（モロは人間ではないが）が、物語を展開させていくことが大きいと思う。これらの女性キャラクターは、荒々しく、周囲の者に束縛されることもなく、時にはたくましいとも思える暴力性を垣間見せる。このような強さが美しく思える。ハンドルとして、エボシ御前やモロ自身に因んだ名前を選ぶこともできたが、私には、まだまだ未熟さを抱えたサンが似合っていると思う。年齢的には１５歳のサンよりは大分年上の自分ですが、フェミニストとして、（そりゃあアメリカかぶれですけど）誇りを持った日本女性として、人間として、まだまだ未熟者ですから。
