Japan: A Short History (Short Histories) by Hane Mikiso

Author:Hane, Mikiso [Hane, Mikiso]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 9781780742656
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Published: 2013-08-31T21:00:00+00:00

WOMEN ACTIVISTS

The movements for “civilization and enlightenment” and the people’s rights did not result in the improvement of women’s status. Some women were active in the populist movement from the outset. Among them was Fukuda Hideko (1867–1920) who participated in the people’s rights movement and the fight for women’s rights. She became disillusioned with the liberal political party members and joined the emerging socialist movement. She fought for her beliefs, writing for liberal and socialist journals. Her articles called for improvement in the working conditions in the textile factories, justice in the family system, and women’s rights in general. She opposed the Russo-Japanese War and fought the Ashio Copper Mine for polluting the river vital for farmers downstream. With the failure of the movement to gain in strength Fukuda’s life ended in disappointment and poverty. She became disillusioned with the many men she worked with. She remarked, “Men are worthless. They are easily bought off by titles of nobility and medals. In this respect women are more reliable. Among women there are no fools who go about proudly dangling medals around their neck.”4

There were a few more active women fighters among socialists and anarchists. Most notable among them was Kanno Sugako discussed above (pp. 113–14). The execution of Kanno and her cohort dampened the radical movement briefly but the fight for women’s rights continued. In 1911 Hiratsuka Raichō (1886–1971) organized the Seitōsha (Blue Stocking Society) to offer publication opportunities for women writers but the advancement of women’s rights was the chief objective. Hiratsuka stated: “The Seitōsha will be an instrument for women’s thought, literature and moral perfection.” She declared her stand as a “new woman.” “I am a New Woman, I yearn each day to become a truly New Woman, Each day I work to become a New Woman, The sun is truly and forever new. I am the sun.” The first issue of the journal included a poem by Yosano Akiko. She wrote, “The day when the mountain will move is coming ... The mountains have been asleep only temporarily. In antiquity, mountains, all aflame, moved about ... All the women who had been asleep, Have now awakened and are on the move.”5

The articles in the journal became more radical. Hiratsuka was not inclined toward political and social radicalism and so in 1915 she turned over the journal’s editorship to a young radical, Itō Noe, who was barely twenty. Itō had started writing for the Seitō journal when she was seventeen and had been advocating feminist ideals that ran contrary to the conventional emphasis on propriety, restraint, self-effacement, and conformity. In taking charge of the journal she stated her policy would be “no rules, no fixed policies, no principles, no advocacy of any cause.” She was against the Japanese convention that taught women to conform and accept their plight. She protested, “There is nobody as hateful as the narrow-minded, obstinate women educators of Japan. With their narrow outlook, opinionated views, ignorance, and superficiality, how could they expect to undertake

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.