Introduction
As a Japanese, Yamaguchi Yoshiko pretended to be Chinese and was active in Manchukuo under the name “Li Xianglan,” and this deception earned her much scorn and criticism after identity reveal. In Japanese War Bride, Yamaguchi plays Tae, a Korean War veteran’s Japanese wife – a representative of a race that had only recently claimed to be superior – who faces racial prejudice in the United States. In the film, it is not Tae’s willingness or unwillingness to accept American ways but the reaction of those around her, especially her sister-in-law Fran, that defines her station in American society. Japanese War Bride suggests that identities are not freely chosen but shaped by one’s social environment and, whatever they are, they can always cause prejudice – notions that link closely to Yamaguchi’s biography and suggest that her deception was not as unforgivable as some assume.
Historical Context
When discussing Yamaguchi’s complex identity, whether through the lens of Japanese War Bride or otherwise, one has to consider the social forces that shaped fluid identities in Southeast Asia of the early 20th century.
Yamaguchi’s identity was dual since her childhood, as she was a Japanese girl born in China and adopted by the Chinese (Wang 144).
Yamaguchi’s film career masking her as a Chinese movie star Li Xianglan was a part of Japanese cultural policies (Wang 122).
Identities are Shaped, not Chosen
Japanese War Bride and Yamaguchi’s biography suggest that it is not one’s free choice but social reactions that shape identity.
In Japanese War Bride, Tae is willing to adapt to American ways of life by facing hostility, especially from Fran (Vidor).
“Li Xianglan” persona was shaped by Japanese cultural policies rather than Yamaguchi’s aspirations (Wang 144).
The Difficulties of Moving Past
Japanese War Bride and Yamaguchi’s biography demonstrate how one’s social environment can adapt harder due to refusing to let go of older prejudice.
In Japanese War Bride, part of American hostility toward Tae is explained by the relatively recent memories of the Second World War (Vidor).
Yamaguchi consistently attempted to move past Li Xianglan as a “young girl manipulated by savvy political apparatus” (Kleeman 144).
In China, these attempts did not prevent the perception of Li Xianglan as a perversion of Chinese culture remains remarkably persistent (Wang 145).
In Japan, these attempts did not prevent the emphasis on the exotic and foreign aspect of her personality associated with the Li Xianglan period (Coates 26).
Identity and Prejudice
Japanese War Bride and Yamaguchi’s biography show that, whatever identity one attempts to assume, someone will still be prejudicial about it.
In Japanese War Bride, American society rejects Tae because of her identity both as an Asian and a representative of the recently hostile Japan (Vidor).
In Imperial Japan, the Japanese berated Yamaguchi for her Chinese clothes and her mastery of Mandarin Chinese (Hotta 132).
In post-WWII China, the Chinese resented Yamaguchi by association with the Japanese occupational policies and almost sentenced her to death by the firing squad (Yamaguchi and Sakuya 238).
Conclusion
Both Japanese War Bride and Yamaguchi’s biography suggest that identities are not something to choose freely and, therefore, bear full responsibility for, but complex phenomena largely shaped by social environment rather than one’s desires.
Works Cited
Coates, Jennifer. “The Shape-Shifting Diva: Yamaguchi Yoshiko and the National Body.” Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, vol. 6, no. 1, 2014, pp. 23-38.
Kleeman, Faye Yuan. In Transit: The Formation of the Colonial East Asian Cultural Sphere. University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2014.
Hotta, Eri. Pan-Asianism and Japan’s War 1931-1945. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Vidor, King, director. Japanese War Bride. 20th Century Fox, 1952.
Wang, Yiman. “Affective Politics and the Legend of Yamaguchi Yoshiko/Li Xianglan.” Sino-Japanese Transculturation: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the End of the Pacific War, edited by Richard King et al., Lexington Books, 2012, pp, 143-166.
Yamaguchi, Yoshiko, and Fujiwara Sakuya. Fragrant Orchid: The Story of My Early Life. University of Hawai‘i Press, 2015.