Yosano Akiko and The Tale of Genji Volume 28

Yosano Akiko has long been recognised as one of the most important literary figures of prewar Japan. Her renown derives principally from the passion of her early poetry and from her contributions to 20th-century debates about women. This study shows that facile descriptions of Akiko as a 'poetess of passion' or 'new woman' no longer suffice.