The Makioka Sisters is a classic novel from Japanese author Junichiro Tanizaki. First published in four parts between 1943 and 1948, the novel follows the complex and tumultuous lives of the four Makioka sisters, each of whom represent a different stage in Japanese womanhood.
The novel opens at the Makioka family’s house in Osaka in the 1930s. The Makiokas are a prominent merchant family and the novel follows their troubles trying to juggle modern ideals with traditional customs. Particularly, the novel is focused on the four sisters. The eldest sister is Tsuruko, married and the traditional Matriarch of the family. Sachiko is the second eldest, who is living unhappily as a married woman in Tokyo. The third sister is Taeko, a rebellious woman who works as a shop girl and is determined to stay single. The fourth and youngest sister, Yukiko, is unmarried, considered to be of marriageable age and a source of tension within the family.
The novel follows the ups and downs of all four sisters’ lives as they struggle with matrimony, rebellion and tradition. Tsuruko and Sachiko, who are already married, encounter problems in regards to the roles of their respective husbands in their lives. Taeko acts wild and flouts the expectations of her family, particularly in the case of marriage. In contrast, Yukiko struggles to come to terms with her feelings of entrapment concerning marriage, and is desperate to allow her hopes and dreams free.
Throughout the novel, the sisters find themselves struggling to come to terms with the clash between traditional Japanese customs and the modernisation of Japanese society. This in turn creates conflict and tension within their own family and among the other characters in the novel. Tanizaki presents the dilemmas of these four sisters’ lives not only as socially relevant but also as having a personal and emotional depth.
The novel culminates with each of the sisters having a brief chance at happiness and the novel ends on a note of optimism. However, Tanizaki was careful to avoid the traditional happy ending motifs found in many Japanese works of fiction and instead presents a more realistic view of the possible future for the Makioka sisters.
Although The Makioka Sisters was written during Nazi-era Japan and does not encompass the many changes that have taken place in Japanese society since, it is a remarkable and timeless story of courage and growth in the face of cultural and social pressures. In exploring the complexities of family relationships, matrimony and the difficulties of coming to terms with the traditional and modern values and customs of Japan, The Makioka Sisters is an important novel. As such, it has been listed as one of Japan’s ‘Important Works of Fiction’ and continues to be an essential part of the works of modern Japanese literature.
