"I would like everyone to think about why it is that a work like this became a first to win the Akutagawa Prize in 2023."- Saou Ichikawa
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The winner of the second Akutagawa literary prize of 2023 is Saou Ichikawa for her novella Hunchback, described by The Japan Times as "a darkly funny portrait of disability." The story follows the life of a woman named Shaka Izawa, a disabled author that grapples with what it is like to be physically disabled in a group home in Japan. Izawa has been described as funny and smart, having written everything from scholarly thesis to teen romance stories all while posting shocking confessions on her secret social media account. She posts about issues from being uncomfortable with having a man help bathe her because she isn't seen as a sexual being to the lack of progress in reading accessibility in Japan for those who can't roam a bookstore, hold a book and flip through its pages, or even sit in one position for very long.
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The novel seems to be based on the author's life, as Ichikawa herself is also a disabled woman who has been an author for more then 20 years, with Hunchback being her fist work of literature. When she was young, she was diagnosed with congenital myopathy, a genetic muscle disorder that, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, can include symptoms such as muscle weakness and lack of control, difficulties breathing and eating, impaired motor skills, and skeletal problems. Ichikawa started showing the symptoms when she was in Junior High.
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In an interview with Good Morning Japan Kanto Koshinetsu, Ichikawa goes into great detail about the struggles of physically disabled people in Japan, criticizing the lack of accessibility in a way mainstream media doesn't touch on. She has studied the history of erasure of disabled women in Japan as well as the "monsterization" and dehumanization of disabled people, the progress of which has not gotten much better in Japan, according to Ms. Ichikawa. Often stories that involve a disabled person are told from the caregiver's point-of-view, where the caregiver is always painted in a heroic and sacrificial light. This a major step for disability awareness in Japan and has opened the public to conversations about accessibility.
References:
Ha, T.-H. (2023, September 8). Saou Ichikawa’s “Hunchback”: A darkly funny portrait of disability. The Japan Times. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2023/09/02/books/saou-ichikawa-hunchback-review/
News, K. (2023, July 19). Disabled author wins prestigious Japanese Literary Award in First. Kyodo News+. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/07/26a318651087-disabled-author-wins-prestigious-japanese-literary-award-in-1st.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Congenital myopathy. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/congenital-myopathy
芥川賞候補作「ハンチバック」作家・市川沙央さん 重度障害の当事者として描く: NHK. NHK首都圏ナビ. (2023, July 21). https://www-nhk-or-jp.translate.goog/shutoken/wr/20230626a.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
