Tears of Longing

Christine R. Yano

ISBN 10: 0674012763 / ISBN 13: 9780674012769

Published by Harvard University Press, 2003

About this Item

Enka, a sentimental ballad genre, epitomizes for many the nihonjin no kokoro (heart/soul of Japanese), and to older members of the Japanese public this music evokes a direct connection to the traditional roots of "Japaneseness". Series: Harvard East Asian Monographs. Num Pages: 250 pages, 7 halftones, 8 musical examples, 8 tables. BIC Classification: 1FPJ; AVGJ; GTB; JFCA. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 19. Weight in Grams: 378. . 2003. New. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780674012769

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Tears of Longing
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674012763
• ISBN 13: 9780674012769
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Enka, a sentimental ballad genre, epitomizes for many the nihonjin no kokoro (heart/soul of Japanese). To older members of the Japanese public, who constitute enka's primary audience, this music―of parted lovers, long unseen rural hometowns, and self-sacrificing mothers―evokes a direct connection to the traditional roots of "Japaneseness." Overlooked in this emotional invocation of the past, however, are the powerful commercial forces that, since the 1970s, have shaped the consumption of enka and its version of national identity. Informed by theories of nostalgia, collective memory, cultural nationalism, and gender, this book draws on the author's extensive fieldwork in probing the practice of identity-making and the processes at work when Japan becomes "Japan."

About the Author

Christine Yano is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.