Yae was born December 1, 1845, in the Aizu territory of what is now Mutsu prefecture, northern Japan. Her father, Gonpachi Yamamoto, was a samurai & gunnery instructor in Aizu, her brothers followed in his footsteps. At the time, education of sisters was deemed unnecessary, according to the cultural beliefs of the time. However the civil war changed that for the Yamamoto family. Her brothers went off to war & Yae was left behind to defend her hometown of Aizu. She would utilize her gunnery skills, that she had gained from her older brother, Kakuma, teaching these skills to others, that had also been left behind.
Yae successfully defended Aizu for some time, gaining a reputation as a sharpshooter & respected local hero. Sadly, in the end, Aizu was overtaken & Yae was taken as a POW (prisoner of war) along with most of her male counterparts. The war had changed many things, Yae's father, Gonpachi had been killed & her short lived marriage to, Shonosuke Kawasaki ended in 1871.
After the war, Yae, her mother & brother, who had also been a prisoner of war, relocated to Kyoto, where Yae became an instructor at an all-girl school. She was introduced to Niijima Jo, also known as Rev. Jo Neesima. Jo was a former samurai who had become the first Japanese person to travel overseas to the US, where he became an evangelist. Yae & Jo married in 1875, their's was the first Christian wedding in Kyoto. Jo held his wife in a high regard & considered her as his equal. Their religious beliefs put them at odds with their community and Yae was forced to resign from her position at the school.
Yae, Joe and Yae's brother, Kakuma, became major advocates for educational reforms. They tried to tell people how the form of education Jo had been given in the US was better. Together they founded, Doshisha, a private school, in 1875. A year later, Yae became a part of Doshisha Girl's School; promoting education would become one of Yae's lasting legacies. Both schools would later go on to become universities. She also advocated for ex-samurais, employing some at her schools. Because her father was a samurai, Yae had earned the respect of a circle of samurai and was often called upon to be a consultant at local meetings.
Yae was called back into military service when the Sino-Japanese War started in 1894. For the last century, relationships with China had been going badly because of diplomatic moves Japan made concerning territories like, Korea. The war only lasted 8 months and Yae served as a nurse with the Red Cross, in Hiroshima during that time. Japan would fight another war over Korea and surrounding lands, in 1904; but this time with Russia, in the Russo-Japanese War. Yae became a nurse for a second time, serving in Osaka; not only did she care for wounded soldiers but she advocated for better treatment of her fellow nurses.
For her loyal service, Yae was given several awards. She became the first decorated woman outside of the Imperial household. She received 2 Orders of the Precious Crown (6 & 7th class) & the silver cup at the Emperor's inauguration in 1928. The Order of the Precious crown was traditionally given to women of the Imperial household with only 6 classes; 7 & 8 classes were added later but removed in 2003.
Yae Yamamoto died on June 14th, 1932.
https://sokorra.wordpress.com/2018/02/10/women-of-history-yamamoto-yae/
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Female Warriors
Non-FictionFrom Naotara li and Mulan to Eleanor of Aquitaine and Boudicca. Strong women throughout history who fought for the countries, families and beliefs; that made a stand against those who threatened to destroy them. They took charge when no else would.
