clioshiddenportraits:Yamamoto Yaeko (1865-1932) was born in the Aizu domain (part of present Fukushi
clioshiddenportraits:Yamamoto Yaeko (1865-1932) was born in the Aizu domain (part of present Fukushima prefecture), which Lord remained loyal to the shogun through the Bakumatsu (literally ‘the end of the military camp’ or in short, the end of shogunate). Then, as many Aizu women, Yamamoto fought during the invasion of their homeland, albeit forbid to do so officially, but unlikely most of them, she survived. Being daughter of a samurai who also was a gunnery instructor, she was trained not only in traditional weapons as firearms, and is said to have been exceptional with the later. Due to this background, Yamamoto was one of the few in the Aizu side to possess and know how to handle a repeating rifle, while most of her comrades still needed recharge after each shoot.Nevertheless Aizu feel, Yamamoto came to Kyoto. There her brother, pardoned by the new government, helped in the Meiji Restoration. At this point, besides teaching in the Kyoto Women’s School, she became a tea ceremony and flower arrangement master and through her acquaintance with Rev. Joseph Hardy Neesima (formerly Niijima Jou), she converted to christianism. Neesima and her got married (he was her second husband) and together with her brother they started Doshisha Girl’s School alongside the Doshisha English School, the school eventually became the first japanese institution for women’s higher education and is currently part of the Doshisha University.Some time after Neesima’s death, Yaeko departed of the institution due to alleged prejudice against students from domains contrary to Aizu during Boshin War. From then on she enlisted to the Japanese Red Cross and also became a instructor in nursing schools, serving during the war periods till the early years of the 20th century. She was the first woman non part of the imperial house to be condecorated for services to the country.Yamamoto is a character depicted and many mediuns, but most notoriously she was the protagonist of the NHK annual period drama of 2013, called ‘Yae no Sakura’.After long, this post concludes the ‘onna bugeisha series’. For the next one, thinking about spartan women or maybe some of you have nice suggestions. =)Ending the ‘onna bugeisha series’. -- source link
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