Forget Me Not Girls' Love: Mei Yumi's 1930s Japanese Literature

Book excerpt: Yoshiya Nobuko, born on Januay 12, 29 Meiji, 1896, in Nīgata and died on July 11, 48 Shōwa, 1973, in Kamakura at the age of 78, is a Japanese female novelist active from the 1920s to the early 1970s. She, in her lesbian sexual orientation and from her experience of the same-sex relationship with Monma Chiyo for over 50 years, depicted schoolgirls' friendship, which was not identical with but emotionally very close to the same-sex orientation. In 14 Taishō, 1925, she began the magazine entitled as "Kuro'Shōbi (Black Rose)" although she discontinued it in eight months. Girl subscribers of her magazine and girl fans of her novels dreamed of the modest, fair, and graceful life style and girls' friendship as written in her novels. "FORGET ME NOT" was serialized in the girls' magazine, "Shōjo'no Tomo" which literally means girls' friend, in issues from April to December in 7 Shōwa, 1932. While reading this novel, you will clearly see what the Japanese schoolgirls looked like in the early 1930s, and also the human tradition in a household and in the society at that time, along with the ideal male personalities for the author. Japanese schoolgirls' friendship and mutual confidence survived WW II. There still something traditional remains in their innermost feelings. Enjoy !