Male understanding of motherhood in Japan : rereading Okonogi Keigo's Ajase complex theory

I investigate men’s understanding of motherhood in Japan and reconsider my subjecthood concerning motherhood. In post-World War II, Japanese society was reconstructed based on the gender division of labor. As a result, the male self perceives motherhood as alienated from the maternal subject, and the ways in which the mother understands her experience. My investigation has two distinct but related dimensions: academic study coupled with that of lived experience. First, I reread Okonogi Keigo’s 小此木啓吾 (1930-2003) Ajase complex theory, a psychoanalytic interpretation of the Buddhist tale of Ajase, as the critical theory on masculinity in Japan. Okonogi’s theory has been interpreted as an example of a theory of Japanese uniqueness. I recontextualize his Ajase complex within his theory of the family and propose a perspective to reread it. Tracing Okonogi’s theorization of the Ajase story, I reconsider the trajectory of Ajase’s reuniting with his mother, Idaike, as the maternal subject. Second, I reflect on my experience of motherhood. By studying Okonogi’s Ajase complex and examining my experience of caring relationships, I engage currere, forming a dialogical relationship between academic knowledge and my lived experience. I search for the male self that recognizes the maternal subject. In reflecting on my experience of caregiving in my family, I examine my separation from my mother and seek to reunite with her. In Okonogi’s theory and my lived experience, I identify the male connecting with the maternal subject. Upon reuniting with Idaike, Ajase reconciled himself with the image of himself that Idaike had seen in him. Idaike’s recognition of her ambivalent feelings towards her child was necessary for Ajase to reconcile with the self. Recalling my experience with my mother, I heard her voice connotate the image of myself. My mother’s recognition of her ambivalent feelings towards me was in my memory. I conclude that men’s understanding of the self that their mothers saw in them is the foundation for recognizing the maternal subjects. This self will serve as the basis for reconstructing men’s subjectivity in caring relationships, provided that they listen to mothers’ voices and learn from their experiences.