Today in Japan, we’re celebrating the 142nd birthday of the writer Ichiyo Higuchi, whose short story Thirteenth Night is one of the most famous pieces of literature in Meiji Japan (1868-1912).
It opens with a woman, Oseki, going to ask her parents’ help in leaving an unhappy marriage. Her father chastises her and instructs her to return to her husband and son. On her way home, Oseki meets Roku, a childhood friend who once was in love with her and is now reduced to pulling a rickshaw. The doodle portrays the full-moon scene where Oseki and Roku, filled with nostalgia, speak about their present sadness before they return to their unhappy lives, unsure if they are to meet again.
Ichiyo, who lived to just 24 years, was heavily influenced by poetry and classical Japanese literature, and showed great maturity in her writing. She was one of the earliest Japanese women to write for a living, and is considered the first prominent Japanese woman writer of modern times and can be found on today’s 5,000 yen notes.
Posted by Mai Fukue, Brand Marketing Manager, Google Japan
It opens with a woman, Oseki, going to ask her parents’ help in leaving an unhappy marriage. Her father chastises her and instructs her to return to her husband and son. On her way home, Oseki meets Roku, a childhood friend who once was in love with her and is now reduced to pulling a rickshaw. The doodle portrays the full-moon scene where Oseki and Roku, filled with nostalgia, speak about their present sadness before they return to their unhappy lives, unsure if they are to meet again.
Posted by Mai Fukue, Brand Marketing Manager, Google Japan
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