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The Makioka Sisters (細雪 "Sasameyuki," lit. "light snow") (1943-1948) is a serial novel by the Japanese author Tanizaki Jun'ichiro.
The story, set in war-time Kyoto, centers around the four daughters of a once-wealthy family now in decline: Tsuruko, Sachiko, Yukiko and Taeko (affectionately dubbed "Koi-san.") Tsuruko and Sachiko, the elder sisters, are trying to arrange a marriage for Yukiko. Taeko, the youngest, impatient with waiting for her older sister to marry, flings herself into affairs with men of dubious character or social standing.
The novel's primary theme is the decay of traditional Japanese culture, as Tanizaki saw it being replaced by the twin processes of modernization and Westernization. The Makiokas go blossom viewing, practice traditional dance and doll making, while simultaneously clinging to their fallen name and faded glory.
Taeko in some ways conforms to the archetypal femme fatale recurrent in many of Tanizaki's works.
Was adapted for the screen in 1950 (Shintouhou), 1959 (Daiei Tokyo) and 1983 (Touhou Eiga).
