Diva Nation

At turns witty and wise, frothy and fascinating, theres 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 *

Laura Miller is the Eiichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of MissouriSt. 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 Divas 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 Hitomis 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