Diva Nation explores the constructed nature of female iconicity in Japan. From ancient goddesses and queens to modern singers and writers, this edited volume critically reconsiders the female icon, tracing how she has been offered up for emulation, debate or censure. The research in this book culminates from curiosity over the insistent presence of Japanese female figures who have refused to sit quietly on the sidelines of history. The contributors move beyond archival portraits to consider historically and culturally informed diva imagery and diva lore. The diva is ripe for expansion, fantasy, eroticization, and playful reinvention, while simultaneously presenting a challenge to patriarchal culture. Diva Nation asks how the diva disrupts or bolsters ideas about nationhood, morality, and aesthetics.

About the Author

Laura Miller is the Ei’ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where she teaches courses and does research on Japan.

Rebecca Copeland is Professor of Japanese Literature at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where her research and teaching focus on modern women writers, mystery fiction, gender, and translation studies.

List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Preface: Transnational and Time-Travelling Divas xi
Laura Hein

Diva Seductions: An Introduction to Diva Nation 1
Laura Miller and Rebecca Copeland
1. Kirino Natsuo Meets Izanami: Angry Divas Talking Back 13
Rebecca Copeland
2. Ame no Uzume Crosses Boundaries 34
Tomoko Aoyama
3. Searching for Charisma Queen Himiko 51
Laura Miller
4. Izumo no Okuni Queers the Stage 77
Barbara Hartley
5. From Child Star to Diva: Misora Hibari as Postwar Japan 95
Christine R. Yano
6. Yoko Ono: A Transgressive Diva 115
Carolyn S. Stevens
7. Transbeauty IKKO: A Diva’s Guide to Glamour, Virtue, and Healing 133
Jan Bardsley
8. Seizing the Spotlight, Staging the Self: Uchida Shungiku 151
Amanda C. Seaman
9. The Unmaking of a Diva: Kanehara Hitomi’s Comfortable Anonymity 168
David Holloway
10. Ice Princess: Asada Mao the Demure Diva 185
Masafumi Monden
Afterword: Diva tte nan desu ka? (What Is a Diva?) 203
Rokudenashiko (Translated by Kazue Harada)

Bibliography 207
Contributors 229
Index 233

Reviews

“At turns witty and wise, frothy and fascinating, there’s something for anyone interested in gender studies, Japanese culture or the shadowy layers of its subculture.”
— The Japan Times

"This collection is an important contribution to a better understanding of the diva in the post-feminist era. The main objective of the book is not to celebrate women or womanhood or to disclose notable women that have nevertheless been overlooked by patriarchal historiography, but to build a new interpretive framework."
— Leonardo

"In light of the recent global attention to movements such as #MeToo, fuelled by women fighting against routine and status quo sexism, the publication of Diva Nation seems timely . . . This collection will be valuable not only to those interested in Japanese studies, but also for those with an interest in gender studies, queer studies and any field engaging with minority cultural or subcultural groups."
— New Voices in Japanese Studies

"Diva Nation stands out as a scholarly text that is commendably approachable in terms of the analysis. It is moreover an engaging book thanks to the material and the writing, and its merging of anthropology, history, literature, cultural studies, and gender studies makes it a valuable addition to many libraries and many syllabi."
— Pacific Affairs

About the Book

About the Author

Table of Contents

Reviews