Transformations of Nikkei Women’s Documentary Films -The Role of Women’s Relationality in Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight（2015）-

This article examines how Nikkei women-women of Japanese descent living abroad-use documentary film as a medium to tell their stories and explore their identities.Drawing on the concept of women's relationality-the way women often connect their own lives to those of their mothers and grandmothers-the study traces documentaries created across different Nikkei generations.Sansei (third-generation) filmmakers such as Ruth Ozeki (Halving the Bones , 1996) and Lida Ohama (Obchan's Garden , 2003) revisit their grandmothers' experiences to gain a deeper understanding of their cultural roots.In contrast, Shin-Issei (new first-generation) directors like Nanako Kurihara and Mayu Kanamori engage with feminist perspectives and navigate the blending of Japanese and non-Japanese cultures as a means of exploring identity.Meanwhile, Yonsei (fourth-generation) works-such as Anita Grace Glenn's The Ito Sisters (2017)-amplify voices historically marginalized in Japanese American narratives.The article then turns to Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides (2015), a documentary created by the daughters of "war brides."This film exemplifies how motherdaughter storytelling, grounded in women's relationality, transforms personal memory into collective cultural heritage.Through this analysis, the article highlights key characteristics of recent Nikkei women's documentaries and reaffirms the significance of women's relationality in shaping their narratives.