Aya Kōda’s 116th Birthday

Today’s Doodle, illustrated by guest artist Yuko Shimizu, celebrates the 116th birthday of Japanese novelist, essayist, and feminist Aya Kōda, widely revered as one of the most luminary Japanese authors of her time. Kōda’s writing eloquently explored topics like familial relationships, gender roles, and traditional Japanese culture, and she came to be closely associated with the appearance of the kimono in her work.

Aya Kōda was born on this day in 1904 in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. Her father, Rohan Kōda, was one of Japan’s most esteemed authors, and Kōda began her writing career at age 43 with an essay about him for a literary journal.

In the 1940s and ‘50s, Kōda honed her captivating style through a series of similarly autobiographical essays that chronicled her life with the eccentric Rohan. Despite her unexpected literary success, she stopped writing for several months to work as a maid at a geisha house. Kōda’s experience among the kimono-clad women there inspired her 1955 debut novel “Nagareru” (“Flowing”), which is cited as a critical turning point in her career. 

Today’s Doodle artwork depicts Kōda dressed in a kimono, a subject she examined so frequently that her first 1958-’59 essay collection featured covers made of hand-stitched kimono fabric. In the background of the Doodle artwork is the Horinji Temple found in Japan’s Nara prefecture. The Kōda family had strong ties to pagodas, and when a fire caused by lightning burnt down the original Horinji Temple in 1944, Kōda raised money that helped fund its 1970s reconstruction. Kōda went on to produce a prolific body of work, much of which can be found in her 23-volume, career-spanning collection published from 1994-’97.

Happy birthday, Aya Kōda, and thank you for sharing the fabric of Japanese culture with the world!

Guest Artist Q&A with Yuko Shimizu

Today’s Doodle was illustrated by guest artist Yuko Shimizu. Below, she shares her thoughts behind the making of this Doodle:
 

Q: Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? 

A: It is very inspiring to know about a female writer doing such revolutionary work during a time when most women didn't really have occupations outside of homemaking. 
 

 Q: What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: Japanese female author for a Japanese book nerd like me? Amazing. 
 

 Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?

A: I hope people are inspired by her strength as a female author when that was not really an option for a woman and her involvement to reconstructing Horinji Temple's three-story pagoda.

Early concepts and sketches of the Doodle