shoujo ai is another term used to describe platonic/non-explicit yuri.
well what about the word?
yuri translates to lily in english.
itō bungaku, editor of barazoku (context: the first japanese magazine explicitly for gay men iss. 1971) used the term "lily" to describe GL, as the term bara translated to rose. barazoku means “rose tribe” so yurizoku was to mean "lily tribe."
Barazoku ran a column for lesbians called the “Yurizoku no Corner” where lesbians could communicate with eachother. but it goes wayyy furtger than that! for centuries the lily has symbolized the beauty of women and their relationships with other women.
ryoko yamagishi
the standalone manga "Shiroi Heya no Futari" was published in 1971, written by Ryoko Yamagishi. she is a member of the Year 24 Group, whose works explored deep topics such as gender and sexuality, topics deemed taboo at the time. shiroi heya no futari was inspired by the works of Mari Mori, who in contrast, wrote boys love/yaoi works such as "A Lovers' Forest" and "The Room Filled with Sweet Honey."
it follows the relationship between characters Resine and Simone in an all-girls catholic school. the story is not a happy one but it is a change from the "Class S" novels popular at the time.
yoshiya nobuko
Yoshiya Nobuko wrote Hana Monogatari or "Flower Tales”, a collection of short stories focusing on the lesbian relationships of women. Nobuko also wrote an autobiographical novel ”Two Virgins in an Attic” based on her relationship with her roommate. Another work of Nobuko's was "Yellow Rose" (黄薔薇) which was drawn from the Flower Tales collection. Below is an excerpt of a review on Yellow Rose:
"As with many of the stories contained within Yoshiya’s Hana monogatari, “Yellow Roses” ends in tears. The story’s focus is not on plot, however, but rather the beauty of the two young women and the depth of their feelings for one another. Entire paragraphs are spent on detailed descriptions of mournful eyes and chiseled cheekbones, and the poetry of Sappho is quoted at length. As in the above passages, Yoshiya’s writing is characterized by fragments and ellipses, which heighten the emotional impact of certain scenes while leaving the reader free to fill in the suggestive gaps in the text with her imagination." - Kathryn of https://japaneselit.net/
