Cultivating Community, Illustrating Intimacy: A Textual and Visual Analysis of 1985 and 1987 Issues of the Japanese Lesbian Minikomi Series Regumi tsūshin

Abstract

This thesis explores Japanese lesbian history and literary production via analysis of 1985 and 1987 issues of the minikomi (mini-communication) series Regumi tsūshin by the Tokyo-based lesbian group Regumi Studio Tokyo. This minikomi series started in 1985 and ran until 2013, and the group self-published 294 issues in total. After providing a historical overview of female same-sex love in modern Japan, I use textual and visual analysis of excerpts from Regumi tsūshin to explore how this minikomi series fostered intimacy with readers and contributed to the formation of both physical and intangible lesbian communities. Self-published magazines (zines) are financially accessible and allow for complete creative control, unlike professionally-published texts. Therefore, zines and minikomi are an ideal medium for queer expression and networking. I argue that the Regumi tsūshin series was crucial for community-building and expressing lesbian joy, agency, and connection. Textual and visual markers of intimacy foster trust and feelings of belonging with the reader, and the authors give ample page space to reporting on community events. The combination of intimacy with readers and focus on in-person events in Regumi tsūshin helped foster and sustain the lesbian community. Drawing on feminist critique within Japanese studies, this research also challenges the marginalization of gender and sexuality research within the broader academic discourse, advocating for a more inclusive approach that recognizes the agency and cultural production of queer women.