La nostalgia del furusato: dialogo tra la letteratura giapponese e quella di Okinawa nella costruzione idilliaca del passato

This paper aims to investigate how Okinawan writers developed the myth of furusato during the so-called prewar era, which roughly covers the years from the Taishō 大正時代 (1912-1926) to the early Shōwa pe- riod 昭和時代 (1926-1989). The investigation will also consider the mainland literature of the time to identify similarities and discrepan- cies. Specifically, the study will address the works by Kushi Fusako 久 志芙紗子 (1903-1986), Yogi Seishō 與儀正昌 (b. 1905), and Miyagi Sō 宮城聰 (1895–1991) that are characterized by the recollection of an idyl- lic past that is lost forever: the dystopia rooted in the trauma and nos- talgia felt by the inlanders who are often forced to move to mainland Japan. In this regard, furusato (a richly evocative Japanese term literally meaning birthplace) is not identified as a specific place, but as a time-and-space-dependent phenomenon that sometimes overlaps with its physical counterpart. In mainland Japan, during the Meiji period 明治 時代 (1868-1912), this concept is brought to light loaded with desire and discontent that arises from social changes and historical condi- tions that span the entire first half of the twentieth century. Furusato becomes particularly relevant to the prototypical main character of the Japanese novel of the late nineteenth century and, when it comes to Okinawa, furusato is strongly tied to emigration and the development of inferiority complex. In prewar Okinawan fiction, mythic furusato will evolve to become a key to overcoming the hostilities of urban life because focusing on how things were gives a bittersweet sentiment of relieving from the burden of things that went wrong.