A BRIEF HISTORY OF KAWAII CULTURE
Mgr. Igor Prusa, Ph.D. et Ph.D.
Metropolitan University Prague https://mup.academia.edu/IgorPrusa
ALL THINGS CUTE
Masaryk University, Department of Japanese Studies, September 18, 2021
INTRODUCTION
kawaii is one of the most frequently used words by Japanese today
kawaii is one of the most culturally pervasive aesthetics of the new millennium
Japanese are apt to ignore political and commercial messages without kawaii characters
kawaii is a strong economic driver in manga, anime, fashion, television, magazines, pop-music, etc.
kawaii is connected to the social, political, economic, and technological conditions of 21st century
the popularity of kawaii culture can be traced to the cornerstones of Japanese culture and society
KAWAII ETYMOLOGY
• dictionary definition (Kōjien):
• itawashii (pitiable)
• aisubeki (lovable)
• chiisakute utsukushii (small and beautiful)
• derived from:
• kawo-hayushi [face (kawo)-flushing (hayu-shi)]
• original meaning:
• ashamed, can’t bear to see, feel pity
• further indications:
• powerless, helpless, sad
HEIAN (793-1185)
• Sei Shōnagon („The Pillow Book“)
• fragile, small, and vulnerable “pretty things”
(utsukushiki-mono)
• kawaii as innocent, pure, and young
• Murasaki Shikibu („The Tale of Genji“)
• docile, young women described as “pitiful”
(kawaisō)
• a sense of pathos of things (mono no aware)
• kawaii as “regrettable unavailability”
TAISHŌ (1912 -26)
• kawayushi: embarrassed, pathetic, shy, vulnerable, lovable, small
• shōjo innocence: passionate but supposedly platonic (e.g., Takehisa Yumeji)
• cute feminine items specifically marketed toward shōjo (fanshii guzzu)
1960s
• Income-Doubling Plan, economic growth, cheerful life (akarui seikatsu)
• growing interest in consumption and play instead of production and work (shigoto → asobi)
• young women spend more time as
homemakers/housewives (sengyō shūfu)
• university rebellions as the apex of confrontation with the “adult system”
• “generation of three nihilisms” (mukiryoku, musekinin, mukanshin)
• kawaii born out of „rebellion“ against traditions, authority, and adulthood
1970s
• Japanese schoolgirls use a stylized form of kawaii handwriting (marui-ji)
• Sanrio’s first Hello Kitty product goes on sale (1974)
• Japanese sararīmen start embracing kawaii culture
• Japanese otaku fetishize cute little girls (shōjo)
• commodification of kawaii product through fancy goods (fanshii guzzu)
• kawaii animated characters are used as product designs (phones, computers, TVs)
• kawaii culture spreads in Asia and Western countries (cf. pink globalization)
1980s
• up to five million young Japanese use kawaii handwriting
• companies and institutions promote their mascots (yuru-kyara)
• houses and cars manufactured in kawaii style (cf.
mini kāsu)
•• Japanese schoolgirls describe emperor Hirohito as kawaii (1988)
• female idols packaged and marketed as cute little princesses (e.g., Matsuda Seiko)
• adding new features to kawaii: elegant, eccentric, androgynous, humorous
1990s
• kawaii goods business reach a turnover of 10 trillion yen (1990)
• kawaii becomes the most popular and widely used Japanese word (1992)
• The Pokēmon boom makes Japan the chief exporter of global popular culture
• Nagoya’s Communist Party uses a cartoon giraffe as their logo (1993)
• kawaii transforms against the struggling economy and aging population
• kawaii merges with horror, darkness and violence (guro-kawaii, itami-kawaii)
2000s
• PM Koizumi announces a policy of promoting pop-cultural business
• cute mascots (yuru-kyara) represent prefectures, cities, and companies
• first Maid Café opens in Akihabara (2001)
• Hello Kitty named Japan’s Ambassador of Tourism (2008)
• MOFA appoints three Ambassadors of Cuteness (2009)
2010s
• METI project “Cool Japan” promotes kawaii culture globally (2010)
• anti-kawaii exhibition “Bye Bye Kitty” held in Mori Art Museum (2012)
• Empress Michiko requests to meet with the Kumamon mascot (2013)
• Hello Kitty and Pikachu named
Ambassadors for Osaka EXPO (2017)