“Record” in Taijun Takeda’s Hi-Kakumeisha ：A Reading through Articles in Kaizō Nippō

This paper examines Takeda Taijun’s Hi-kakumeisha, set in postwar Shanghai, with a focus on the notion of “record” as a narrative strategy. By comparing the text with articles published in Kaizō Nippō, it argues that the chaos surrounding the confiscation of Japanese residents’ property and the ideological education imposed on them are partially preserved in the form of “records” embedded within the narrative. Although the rivalry between the Nationalists and the Communists constituted a historical reality, it is not explicitly represented in the text; rather, it functions as an underlying structural presence. Furthermore, under the censorship imposed by GHQ, expressions critical of China or the Nationalist government were strictly restricted, making direct political commentary difficult. Within these constraints, Takeda adopts an indirect mode of “recording” that avoids explicit political positioning. Nevertheless, this strategy allows the binary structure of the Chinese Civil War to emerge implicitly in the process of interpretation, revealing how political tensions are both suppressed and inscribed within the text.