Women have made enormous gains in the field of equal rights and opportunity.

Among the gains made; rights to vote, right to , etc, the right to have a say over ones reproductive organs, has been among the most crucial. While ideas of contraception were beginning to circulate through England and America by the laste 1870s, the notion that women should be allowed a voice in regard to her body, the children she would bear, and the structure of the family system, had no place with traditional Japanese ideals of the day. 1 Hirota Shidzue was born into an affluent samurai family on March 2, 1897 just before the turn of the century2. Japan had entered the era of the Meiji Restoration, and a period often characterizes by rich with social, cultural, political, and economic reform, as well as the devastation of war. Shidzue grew up just outside Tokyo with her parents; her father, a loyal exsamurai, was beginning to shed his past life, driven by the code of Bushido (unwavering loyalty and willingness to sacrifice self for ones lord) in order to adopt a more intellectually and economically driven lifestyle, as was the movement of the time in early 1900s Japan. Her father would provide her first introduction to western culture, bringing back trinkets for Shidzue and her brothers, from his travels abroad. Shidzue reflects in her autobiography, that despite his outward shift in behavior, she observed, as an ex-samurai her father would forever be psychologically controlled by the feudal code.3 Shidzues recounts her mother in the image of the model Japanese wife and mother. The role of Japanese women during the early 1900s and before, was a simple one

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0856928.html history of bc movement ??? 3 p 6 facing both ways

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(simple; never easy); become the perfect wife and mother; maintain a formal presentation, be strict with ones self, always put ones husband and children ahead of the self, show no emotion, behave with dignity and grace, and dont ask questions. Endurance and repression are to be the womans primary values; Endurance a woman should cultivate more than anything else. If you endure well in any circumstances, you will achieve happiness 4 Shidzues mother impressed upon her. While by all accounts, Shidzue failed to become who her mother had envisioned her to be, by the time of her death on December 22, 2002 Shidzue (104), the decades of energy Shidzue dedicated to instigating change, and bettering the plight of Japanese women, her life had been the embodiment of endurance. Shidzue began her schooling at the Peerless school at age 5. Shidzue stood out right away, both for her height, and for her sense of empowerment; willingly engaging in outdoor play (baseball, tennis, stilt-walking) with her male peers. I was brought up with my brothers, of course, but I never thought of them as of a different sex, Shidzue reflects. Shidzues patterns of behavior were already indicating her as one slightly apart from the norm; this caused her mother great anxiety, as she felt it was her responsibility to raise her daughter to be just like her, the problem was, Shidzue was not at all like her mother. She was daily warned her of her lack of desirability and the troubles she would encounter when trying to find a husband, should she continue, behaving like a boy.5 Despite her mothers apprehension, by age 17, Kato was well on her way towards this highly sought after notion of the perfect Japanese woman. On December 23, 1914, feeling much apprehension over the loss of her independence, and the expectations
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awaiting her, Shidzue allowed herself to be given over to the family of Baron Keikichi Ishimoto. For Shidzue, married life was as expected; having woven herself tightly into the fabric of her husbands home and family life, living quietly and observantly, she became well versed in all things domestic, and prepared herself for motherhood. As Shidzue would come to learn, her husband, the Baron, had a great interest in the political and social reform. He was bound and determined to see what was beyond they shores, and years into their marriage, he left his Shidzue, who was carrying their second child, Tamio (, democracy) and set sail for America. Shortly after the birth of Tamio, Shidzue received a postcard from her husband, one that would drastically alter the course of the rest of her life: come to me if you will educate yourself, to feed yourself, with the knowledge of the world, to prepare yourself to swim abreast the worlds tide 6 In august of 1919, Shidzue boarded a ship and set sail for America. Soon after her arrival, another letter; this trip will be my eternal farewell to you, if so, be brave always and grow to be a faithful worker for the betterment of the Japanese womens lot I will watch your growth as that of a representative of Japan. 7 In America, Shidzue threw herself into western life; studying English and observing the start of the womens movements, and only interacting with Americans, as her husband has instructed.8 During this time, Shidzue had the opportunity to meet Margaret Sanger, an American woman, who by 19was already making her mark as birth control activist, and founder of Planned Parenthood. Seeing women in action,

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Shidzue was inspired to better the rights of women in her home country; to see then empowered to raise up from their traditional submissive role, and advocate for the right to have a say over their bodies and lives. Acknowledging the need for birth control, better eugenics practices, family planning, and overall political rights for women, Shidzue returned home in1920, a newly educated and empowered woman, excited by the democratic activism in evidence in her home in Tokyo, ready to dedicate her life to the cause. .9 For the emancipation of women the Japanese woman must be liberated to develop freely the Japanese woman must have time and money to seek self-development.10 A clever young woman, Shidzue published a book on knitting, and proceeded to open the doors of a yarn shop; the shop would serve two fol; for the young women she attracted, she offered not only knitting classes, but an education on family planning, birth control, and womens right. She mission was to better the state of welfare for women in Japan by instituting better family planning and eugenics policies, such that a healthy balance could be established between Japans rapidly increasing population and their limited natural resources. Secretly, Shidzue was pining for the love of her estranged husband, and working every day to become the strong independent activist the Baron has released her to be. In 1922, Women were finally granted the freedom to organize politically (without fear of arrest). The twenties would be characterized as a period of democratic activism; in the wake of WW1 there was a newfound desire to learn and emulate cultural values

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abroad in Europe and America. During this time Shidzue was free to practice her lecture skills, give talks to groups of Miners on the subject of labor reform and birth control. When the Shidzue and the Baron reunited in the mid twenties, and in a strange change of heart, demanded she return to the ways of a traditional submissive Japanese wife, and quit her liberal crusade. Fortunately for women in Japan, Shidzues desires approaching the mid thirties went beyond reclaiming the love of her husband, persevering on through the repressive political and conformist climate that would come to characterize late-thirties Japan. Shidzue spent the entirety of 1932 traveling around America giving lectures and gathering information to bring back with her to Japan. Upon her return, between 1933-34 Shidzue established the Womens Birth Control League of Japan, which enabled her to open information bureaus in four hospitals around Tokyo. As Japans focus shifted back to war, the government felt a need to destroy all movements threatening Japans National policy, or kokutai ( ).11 On the morning of Dec 15 1937, Shidzue was arrested in her home, as well as 473, believed to be engaging in anti-national movements. Proliterian Party leader Kanjou Kato, who would later become her husband, was among the pack. The early 1940s was a time of war, and challenging time for Shidzue, both personally and politically. With one son very ill, and the other, shipped off to war, and liberalism on lock-down Shidzue was free to pursue a relationship with Kanjou Kato, who, like the baron had once done, encouraged her empowerment as a woman. At the time of their meeting, both Shidzue and Kanjou were married, by 1944, both marriages were officially

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ended; at the respective ages of 47 and 52 they were married; one year later, at age 48, Shidzue conceived her third child. Of all the devastations that Japan incurred during 1945, interestingly enough, it was only once Japan has been occupied by the US that women were finally granted the right to vote, as well as the freedom to run for a seat in the House of Representatives. Finally, after years of hardship, resistance, arrest, speculation, in 1946 Shidzue became the first woman to announce candidacy for a seat in the House of Representatives. Shidzue campaigned hard across Japan with the over arching mission of establishing adequate economic welfare for women and children. On April 10, 1946, she became one of the first women elected to the Diet, where she remained a member until 1974; retiring at the age of 77. Shidzue remained in the public eye, crusading for the birth control movement, which she saw as the polestar guiding women from slavery and unceasing poverty, to personality and culture. P241 I recognize that I am not a Japanese woman, nor am I a woman currently living in Japan; still, I am strongly moved and affected by the messages underlying Shiduzes legacy. I was introduced to the womens movement as led by Shidzue, as resonates in Japan today; during the year of college I spent living in Japan. I took a job in an ezakaya, (an intimate ten-stool Japanese style pub), run by a wonderful middle aged woman named Machiko. Machiko approached me on the street one day, near the university I was studying, and asked if I would be interested in working with her in her ezakaya, a few nights a week, to help some of the customers practice English, in exchange for tips, free

meals, and reciprocal language practice. It seemed like a wonderful learning experience, so I accepted. Machicko and I spoke a lot, often a mix of Japanese and English; she was in her mid-fourties, divorced and raising an eighteen year old son. Machikos story was amazing to me; she was much stronger and empowered than the stereotypical submissive portrayal of Japanese women; her sense of resiliency, ambition and dedication. Like Shidzue, she had a mission, to travel abroad, learn English, return to Japan and open her own pub where she could cook and serve, teach English, and create community. I shared with her how she contradicted my notion on the Japanese woman; her strength and independence, the risks she took, the challenges she has surpassed, her sense of self-respect, and the way she demanded respect of the regulars (all men, of course). She shared briefly with me the history of this Shizdue Kato, and how women like that have empowered her to make the choices with her life that she did. Both of these women have come to represent that sense of endurance we need, especially as women, to make an impact, and follow our visions. I have a strong interest in Japanese history and culture, and it was fascinating to build on what little knowledge of the feminist movements in Japan through the story of Shidzues life. Her story informs my social work practice in a number of ways; first, it is further reinforces the fact that progress can be made to combat even the most unlikely and oppressive social policies. That progress comes through education, advocacy, collaboration, determination, support, resiliency, patience, and the realization that sometimes it takes years of failure in order to reach a place of success. It informs me greater of the history of womens suffrage in Japan, and as one who harbors ambitions of returning to Japan to live, regain facility with the language, and

work in a social work capacity. I am interested in learning what role social workers play in Japan, especially in light of the recent earthquake devastation, as well, I would like to aid in the eradication of the social stigmatization that exists around mental health and homelessness in Japan, and advocate for provision of resources to such oppressed populations as the mentally ill and homeless, whom it seems, society would rather ignore, than treat. Finally, the line from her autobiography, quoted above I grew up with brothers never saw them as. Really resonated with me. I grew up in much the way Shidzue did; as a little girl who didnt see herself as any different from the boys; I could play sports just as well, did just as well in school, could dress just the same, if I chose. I never understood myself to be any different from my male peers, nor should any young girl. Beyond they odvious fact that we used different bathrooms, there was nothing to say that I had less skill or ability, or would eventually be any less capable or successful than the boy sitting next to me in class, simply because I was a girl. It is a fact that gender discrimination exists, it effects us daily, but only if we let it affect us.