Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma (1966): Convention, Form, Color and the Writer

. The historical novel Hanaoka Seishu no Tsuma by Ariyoshi Sawako selected as the object of this study shows the use of historical person, Hanaoka Seishu, a surgeon and inventor of anesthesia in Japan as secondary character, and the doctor’s wife as the main character. This novel shows simple form and tends to be realistic in its narration. It shows ideological colors around the oppression of the Edo era women, while emphasizing psychological problems regarding the inner upheaval of the main female characters, with a simple plot. This novel flows progressively in a speedy rhythm, narrating the life journey of Kae as Hanaoka Seishu's wife. The most compositions are small and personal events interspersed with many descriptions. The writer, Ariyoshi Sawako, Japanese female writer who has received good education, has a great interest in social issues, thus affecting the ideological color of her works.