In The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa, Yasunari Kawabata paints an intricate portrait of a young woman coming to terms with her experience during the 1923 Tokyo Earthquake. From the beginning of the novel, the reader discerns that Yumiko is an elaborate character. However, as Yumiko entertains Akagi on the boat her true intentions slowly become clear. Ever since the earthquake Yumiko has struggled with her identity (Kawabata 66). All this frustration relating to Yumiko being a woman comes to a tipping point on page sixty-six. Quickly, Yumiko no longer is the meticulous gang leader; she drops the façade to become the scared little girl she was when the Tokyo Earthquake first occurred. Additionally, Kawabata presents, in this novel, a fictitious
