사타 이네코「차륜소리」론 - 한국전쟁을 둘러싼 사타의 비판적 자기성찰 -

Abstract

This paper is a reevaluation of Sata Ineko's short story Sharin no Oto which has been regarded as a novel depicting the impact of the Korean War on the common people. It examines the relationship between Sata as the author and the Korean War in a new light. Sharin no Oto is a critical introspection on Sata's responsibility as a Communist writer during the Korean War period. Through this story, Sata portrays the unconsciousness of Japanese people who lived in the war zone during the Korean War, believing that although their land and bodies were entangled in the war, their minds were not. This narrative elucidates how the Korean War became an invisible war to the Japanese, in literary platform. Additionally, by critically reflecting on the past complicity of “I” towards the Japanese society and individuals in the capitalist and de-ideological consumption of the Korean War, the story also reveals one possibility of recognition of the “Other” in the context of the Korean War. Moreover, this work can also be seen as a portrayal of the contradictions within the Japanese Communist Party in the early 1950s, interpreted through Sata's own contradictions.