Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
176
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
A
BSTRACT
This article examines the narrative structure and arrangement of elements in Yoko Tawada's novel, "The
Emissary," authored by a contemporary Japanese-German writer. The novel delves into a dystopian future,
albeit with a distinct emphasis on exploring the human experiences within this setting rather than solely
dwelling on its dystopian aspects. Through the portrayal of a select group of characters, the novel adeptly
captures the essence of humanity amidst the impending apocalypse. Tawada's work serves as a
contemplative piece that contemplates the themes of mortality and hope within an uncertain future,
skillfully intertwining humor and darkness to create a unique literary experience.
K
EYWORDS
Yoko Tawada, Japan, Germany, literature, novel «The Emissary», «Kentoshi», «The Last Children of Tokyo».
I
NTRODUCTION
Yoko Tawada, a renowned writer, has often been
referred to as a "Japanese writer" residing in
Berlin due to her alternating use of Japanese and
German languages in her novels. However, this
distinction holds significance primarily within an
insular, monolingual, and nationalist society,
precisely like the one portrayed in her novel "The
Emissary."
Objective
This article aims to thoroughly analyze the
narrative structure and composition organization
Journal
Website:
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Original
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Research Article
PLOT AND COMPOSITION ORGANIZATION OF THE NOVEL
"THE EMISSARY" BY MODERN JAPANESE-GERMAN WRITER
YOKO TAWADA
Submission Date:
June 10, 2023,
Accepted Date:
June 15, 2023,
Published Date:
June 20, 2023
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/ijasr-03-06-30
Zukhra Ramilevna Sabitova
Associate Lecturer, Tashkent State University Of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
177
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
of Yoko Tawada's novel, "The Emissary," crafted
by a contemporary Japanese-German author.
R
ESULTS AND DISCUSSION
"The Emissary," initially published in the
Japanese literary magazine Gunzō in August
2014, is a novel authored by Yoko Tawada. Its
English translation by Margaret Mitsutani, titled
"The Last Children of Tokyo," gained recognition
in the United Kingdom, while in the United States,
it received the esteemed National Book Award for
Translated Literature in 2018, under the title
"The Emissary." Additionally, a German
translation by Peter Pertner, entitled "Send bo-o-
te," was published in the same year.
The genesis of this novel can be traced back to a
short story titled "Fushi no shima" or "The Island
of Eternal Life," featured in the collection named
Sore de mo sangatsu wa, mata. The protagonist, a
Japanese woman residing abroad, narrates the
transformations that unfolded in Japan after the
events of March 11, 2011 . These events were the
consequence of the country's failure to
implement necessary safety measures to prevent
a recurrence of a catastrophe akin to the
Fukushima
disaster.
Subsequently,
Japan
undergoes self-imposed isolation, akin to the
isolationist foreign policy of the Tokugawa
Shogunate's "sakoku" era (1633-1853) during the
Edo period. Radioactive material in the air has
deprived the elderly of the ability to die, and they
are caring for frail young children who are "too
weak to walk or even stand, with eyes that can
barely see and mouths that can barely swallow or
speak" . The absence of electricity relegates
people to engage in activities like reading
newspapers printed on wooden blocks and
listening to storytellers accompanied by guitars
or biwa lutes, reminiscent of the Edo era.
Expanding upon this foundation, the author
further develops the story into a novel titled
"Kentoshi" or "The Emissary." Employing a
contemporary approach, Tawada skillfully
integrates elements of symbolism, magical
realism, and postmodern writing techniques.
The novel unfolds in a post-catastrophe era,
surpassing the magnitude of the 2011 Tohoku
earthquake, which displaced the entire
archipelago, necessitating Japan to sever all
connections with the outside world.
「『どうして？』
『どの国も大変な問題を抱えているんで
，一つの問題が世界中に広がらないように，そ
れぞれの国がそれぞれの問題を自分の内部で解
決することに決まったんだ。前に昭和平成資料
館に連れて行ってやったことがあっただろう。
部屋が一つずつ鉄の扉で仕切られていて，たと
えある部屋が燃えても，隣の部屋は燃えないよ
うになっていただろう。』」
« -
“Why is it closed?”
-
“Every country has serious problems, so to keep
those problems from spreading all around the
world, they decided that each country should
solve its own problems by itself. Remember when
I took you to the Showa -Heisei Museum? All the
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
178
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
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2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
rooms were separated by steel doors, so if a fire
starts in one room it can’t spread to the next
one.”»
Internet, electricity, household appliances,
television and cars are no longer in use; fruits,
vegetables and other plants are too polluted for
human consumption; all animals except rented
dogs and carrier pigeons have disappeared.
In addition, the elderly have stopped dying,
children get sick, cannot walk and eat normally,
and the gender of each person changes once or
twice during their lifetime.
「自分の死んだ後の時間なんて存在しない。死
ねない身体を授かった自分たち老人は，曾孫た
ちの死を見送るという恐ろしい課題を負わされ
ている。」
«For an old man like Yoshiro? Time after death no
longer existed. The aged could not die; along with
the gift of everlasting life, they were burdened
with terrible task of watching their great-
grandchildren die.»
Tokyo is a ghost town, real estate prices have
plummeted, and people are fleeing to Okinawa,
where they work in "fruit factories" because
unpolluted fruits and vegetables are now the
most sought
–
after commodity.
「農作物が海外から輸入されることがなくなっ
てからは、オレンジもパイナップルもバナナも
沖縄からしか送られて来ない。」
«Ever since Japan had stopped importing food
from abroad, all the oranges, pineapples and
bananas came from Okinawa»
The novel, titled
献灯使
("Kentoshi") in
hieroglyphics, carries the profound meaning of
"the messenger who presents the votive lantern
to the deities in sanctuaries or temples." Notably,
its homophone,
遣唐使
("Kentoshi"), was
historically employed to designate Japanese
envoys dispatched to Tang China between 630
and 894. These envoys were tasked with
acquiring and assimilating various aspects of
Chinese civilization, including knowledge of
Chinese medicine, governance, poetry, Buddhist
practices, as well as culinary recipes, diverse
musical instruments, and games like sugoroku
and go . Even festivals such as Tanabata were
brought back to Japan through these emissaries.
It is worth mentioning that the protagonist,
Yoshiro, references Tanabata as the title of an
unfinished novel, which he hesitates to complete
and conceals due to concerns about including too
many foreign place names. This fear stems from
the strict isolation policy enforced in Japan during
that era.
The narrative of Yoshiro's story intricately
intertwines with the presence of the outside
world to such an extent that the elimination of all
geographical references would result in the
obliteration of the entire tale.
「地名は作品内に血管のように細かく枝を張り
、地名だけ，消すのは不可能だった。身の安全
のためには捨てるしかなく，燃やすのがつらい
ので埋めたのだった。」
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
179
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
–
2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
«Place names spread throughout the novel like
blood vessels, dividing into ever smaller
branches, then setting down roots, making it
impossible to eliminate them from the text.»
The main character of the novel, Yoshiro, takes
care of his great-grandson Mumei, a child of
exceptional intelligence and insight, although
enclosed in a div too fragile to stand up for
himself. Every day he becomes weaker and
weaker, and Yoshiro is unable to help him, since
no one knows how to cure Mumei and his peers.
In his work, Tawada makes it clear that the
children are very sick, but it is not clear what
exactly. The first is the real component of the
novel, and the second is unreal. This technique is
characteristic of magical realism.
「無名は青い絹の寝間着を着たまま、畳の上に
ベったり尻をつけてすわっていた。どこかひな
鳥を思わせるのは，首が細長い割に頭が大きい
せいかもしれない。絹糸のように細い髪の毛が
汗で湿ってぴったり地肌に貼りついている。」
«Still in his blue silk pajamas, Mumei sat with his
bottom flat on the tatami. Perhaps it was his head,
much too large for his slender long neck, that
made him look like a baby bird. Hairs fine as silk
threads stuck to his scalp, damp with sweat.»
The various recurring images of birds throughout
the novel are a kind of symbol that represents the
possibility of freedom beyond the social
structure. Most often, the author describes the
Mumei as a bird, its appearance and movements
imitate winged creatures.
「無名は膝のところから内側に曲がってしまう
鳥のような脚を一歩ごとに外側にひらくように
して前進する。」
«Because Mumei’s birdlike legs turned inward
from the knee down, he turned them outward as
he walked, step by step.»
Yoshiro is constantly busy, running around with a
rented dog in the morning, helping Mumei with
most of his daily chores outside of school and
lamenting
his
great-grandson's
physical
disabilities and the difficult task of parenting in a
polluted world. He torments himself with regrets
and guilt that his generation could not preserve a
world fit for future generations.
The plot of the novel is quite complex, non-linear,
real events are intertwined with unreal ones,
which is also inherent in magical realism. The
story is a retrospective view of the composition,
presented in the form of the main character's
memories of his past.
Yoshiro often thinks about his family: his wife
Marika, who always seemed to avoid him until
work became a convenient excuse to move, his
daughter Amana, who also suffers from the same
itchy feet as her mother, who eventually moves to
Okinawa with her husband, his rebel nephew
Tomo, who did not even attend the funeral, left his
wife and his son Mumei in the care of Yoshiro.
「義郎は，家族と離れて暮らしたがる遺伝子と
いうものがあるのではないかと疑ったこともあ
った。妻の鞠華，娘の天南，そして孫の飛藻，
みんなどこかへ吹き飛んでいってしまった。」
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
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(ISSN
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VOLUME
03
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Pages:
176-182
SJIF
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(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
«Yoshiro sometimes wondered if it wasn’t
genetic, this desire to find a life outside the family.
His wife Marika, his daughter Amana, and his
grandson Tomo had all taken off»
In addition to complicated family affairs,
Yoshiro's paths intersect with the paths of
episodic characters, such as a baker who calls his
bread with German city names and hides them
under Japanese hieroglyphs, or a carver who sells
knives along with his autobiography.
Yoshiro is a member of the underground
Emissaries Association, whose goal is to help
selected young people take refuge on foreign
ships so that international scientists can
investigate the health of Japanese children. In
addition to Yoshiro, the members of the club are
the elementary school teacher Mummy, Anthony,
and the teacher Suiren, Namoto, who lives next
door.
「献灯使の会には，会報のようなものはないし
，全員が一度に大勢集まるような会合はなく，
三人かせいぜい四人が個人の家に集まって話を
するだけなので，会の存在が世間の目に触れる
ことはなかった。会費もないし会員証もない。
本部は四国にあるが，挟い四国の中で八十八ヵ
所に散らばっているので，場所を確定しにくい
。」
«The Emissary Association was unknown to the
general public: there was no newsletter, nor did
its members gather for large conferences. At
most, three or four would meet at someone’s
house. There were no dues or membership cards.
Headquarters was on the small island of Shikoku,
spread out over eighty-eight different sites,
making it extremely difficult to determine the
exact location.»
This symbol of hope, similar to the flame of a
candle that members of the Emissary Society light
every morning before dawn, seems to go out in
the last scene of the novel when Mumei loses
consciousness, but the finale still remains open,
which is also inherent in magical realism.
「『僕は平気だよ，とてもいい夢を見たんだ』
と言おうとしたが，舌が動かなかった。せめて
微笑んで二人を安心させてあげたい。そう思っ
ているうちに後頭部から手袋をはめて伸びてき
た闇に脳味噌をごっそりつかまれ，無名は真っ
暗な海峡の深みに落ちていった。」
«He wanted to say, “I’m all right. I just had a really
nice dream,” but his tongue wouldn’t move. If only
he could smile at least, to reassure them. That’s
what he was thinking when darkness, wearing a
glove, reached for the back of his head to take hold
of his brains, and Mumei fell into the pitch-black
depths of the strait.»
According to Brian Haman's observations, "Yoko
Tawada
skillfully
employs
incongruous
juxtapositions in her storytelling, resulting in a
sense of incommensurability. Through the
interweaving of plot threads, shattered
flashbacks , and nonlinear perspectives, the
narrative takes flight, momentarily pausing
before veering off in unexpected directions,
reminiscent of the elusive dragonflies of Yoshiro's
youth" . Tawada adeptly combines these
disparate plot elements into a narrative tapestry
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
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International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
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VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
that imparts meaning to a dystopian world where
the very concept of meaning itself appears to be
gradually diminishing.
Furthermore, Tawada's postmodern writing
technique merits acknowledgment, as it reveals
her ironic stance towards present-day issues not
only in Japan but across the globe.
In "The Emissary," she constructs a fictional
realm where privatized police parades through
the streets in the form of a brass band, performing
circus melodies, as crime has become virtually
nonexistent. Bankrupt financial institutions
employ "Sorry-men" to apologize to disgruntled
customers, allowing them an outlet for their
anger. Professional educational establishments
profit from parents' belief that admission to these
costly schools signifies recognition of their child's
talent, even if graduates struggle to secure
employment or become subjected to exploitative
wages.
Moreover, the national holidays within this world
are depicted as "completely democratic," and
people partake in elections to determine the
name and date of each new holiday, as well as to
potentially revoke or rename outdated holidays
that no longer align with the prevailing state of
affairs.
「『敬老の日』と『こどもの日』は名前が変わ
って，『老人がんばれの日』と『子供に謝る日
』になり，『体育の日』はからだが思うように
育たない子供が悲しまないように『からだの日
』になり，『勤労感謝の日』は『生きているだ
けでいいよの日』になった。」
«“Respect for the Aged Day” became
“Encouragement for the Aged Day,” while
“Children’s Day” was now “Apologize
to the
Children Day”; “Labor day” became “Being Alive is
Enough Day”.»
A notable and contemporary aspect of the novel
"The Emissary" lies in its exploration of language
dynamics and the portrayal of how language can
be
distorted
amidst
extreme
social
circumstances.
In
the
narrative,
the
implementation of a new isolationist policy leads
to the prohibition and subsequent neglect of
foreign language studies. Katakana, one of the
Japanese syllabic scripts traditionally utilized to
represent foreign words, becomes reduced to a
relic of the past. Yoko Tawada underscores the
significance of language as a cultural currency
and envisions its stagnation within a Japan
isolated from the international community. The
narrative paints a picture of Japan reaching a
figurative dead end, devoid of a language that
could be disseminated and shared.
「天拘社は岩手県に本社があり，靴の中に『岩
手まで』と毛筆で書いてある。この『まで』は
，英語を習わなくなった世代が『
made in Japan
』の『
made
』を自分なりに解釈した結果でき
た表現だった。」
«The Tengu Company was based in Iwate
Prefecture, and inside each shoe Iwate was
written in India ink with a brush, followed by the
kana for ma and de. The younger generation, who
no longer studied English, interpreted the "made"
and old "Made in Japan" labels in their own way.»
Volume 03 Issue 06-2023
182
International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
(ISSN
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2750-1396)
VOLUME
03
ISSUE
06
Pages:
176-182
SJIF
I
MPACT
FACTOR
(2021:
5.478
)
(2022:
5.636
)
(2023:
6.741
)
OCLC
–
1368736135
But the world of the novel "Emissary" is not only
a gloomy picture of the future. A kind of light in
this story is one of the main characters, Mumei, in
whom warmth and wisdom are felt, something
simple, pure and undeniably good. After all,
despite his deteriorating condition, the boy is
carefree, cheerful and happy.
「曾おじいちゃんだって歯がないのにご飯たく
さん食べるし，元気だし。」
«You manage to eat plenty without teeth, Great-
grandpa, and look how healthy you are.»
C
ONCLUSION
In conclusion, Yoko Tawada's novel, "The
Emissary," presents a distorted reflection of Japan
that not only sheds light on its present-day
challenges but also offers glimpses of a potential
future. However, this depiction is not devoid of
hope. Tawada skillfully preserves the inherent
virtues of humanity and imbues them within the
central protagonists of the narrative, Yoshiro and
Mumei. By emphasizing the importance of
cherishing these virtues, she urges readers to
envision a brighter future for generations to
come. Through her work, Tawada encourages
contemplation and the cultivation of optimism,
ultimately inspiring the reader to embrace the
potential for positive transformation.
R
EFERENCES
1.
Carola DaffnerBeth A. Muellner German
Women Writers and the Spatial Turn: New
Perspectives, Walter de Gruyter GmbH &
Co KG, 2015
2.
Da Zheng. From the Margin to the
Mainstream. Asian American Literature
Since the Late 1970s // In Search of New
Identities
and
Designs:
American
Literature in the 1980
–
90s. / Ed. by Y. V.
Stulov.
–
Minsk, 2001.
3.
Tawada Yoko. The Island of Eternal Life. In
Elmer Luke & David KARASHIMA (Eds.),
Translation by Margaret Mitsutani, March
Was Made of Yarn: Reflections on the
Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and
Nuclear Meltdown. New York: Vintage,
2012.
–
P. 9-10
4.
Haman, Brian. Like its subject, Yoko
Tawada’s ‘The Emissary’ is hallucinatory
and contaminated. Scroll-In. Available at:
https://scroll.in/article/880566/like-its-
subject-yokotawadas-the-emissary-is-
hallucinatory-and-contaminated. 2018.
5.
多和田葉子（
2014
）『献灯使』講談社
,
available
at:
https://www.amazon.com/Emissary-
Yoko-Tawada/dp/0811227626.
6.
多和田葉子（
2004
）『声が響いている
ということ自体の不思議さ〜ドイツと日
本での朗読』特集記事アーカイブ
7.
多和田葉子（
1998
）『飛魂』講談社
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多和田葉子（
2003
）『エクソフォニー
』岩波書店
