قصة الكتاب :
Chikuma Shobō (Chikuma Shinsho), 2006. 208 pp. ¥740. ISBN 978-4-
480-06281-9.
Yomota Inuhiko
Born in 1953. Studied religion as an undergraduate at the University
of Tokyo and comparative culture at its graduate school. Is active as
a critic mainly covering film and literature, looking also at comics,
cooking, urban theory, and modern thought. Other works include
Nihon eigashi 100 nen [A Century of Japanese Film], Manga genron
[Principles of Manga], Sensei to watashi [My Teacher and Me], and
“Shichinin no samurai” to gendai [The Seven Samurai and the Modern
Age].

The Japanese adjective kawaii (cute) is applied to a number of globally popular
Japanese characters, like Hello Kitty, Pokémon, and Sailor Moon. What does
kawaii mean, and why have kawaii Japanese characters become so popular? Taking
a look at these questions by going back in history and examining the meaning
of the word, the author skillfully delves into one root of Japanese culture.
According to Yomota, the word kawaii dates back to the eleventh-century
work Makura no sōshi [trans. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon]. It was used in Kabuki
and popular novels in the Edo period (1603–1868) and has been kept alive by
modern writers like Dazai Osamu, refined to the point where it represents a unique
aesthetic. The author also notes that the elements of kawaii include ugliness and
a hint of the grotesque in addition to beauty. He analyzes how university students
use the word via surveys of students at Meiji Gakuin University, where he has
taught film history, and Akita University, where he previously lectured. He also
looks into the background of how kawaii culture made its way overseas. In short,
this is a very interesting discourse on Japanese culture. (UY)