Short Abstract

During his time as the editor of the Matsumoto Shimbun (1877-78), Sakazaki Sakan wrote various articles about women and their plight. Taking a closer look at these articles can help us understand why and how he became a supporter of women activists in the 1880s, as editor of the Jiyū no Tomoshibi.

Long Abstract

In this paper I will shed light on the writings of Sakazaki Sakan (1853-1912) in the Matsumoto Shimbun of 1877-78, and his views on women in particular. Sakazaki is known as the author of the first novel depicting the activities of bakumatsu hero Sakamoto Ryōma, which he wrote in 1883. At the same time, however, he was an active supporter of women activists: in 1884, as the editor of the Jiyū Shimbun, he provided a stage for Kishida Toshiko and other female contributors, and had, among others, Fukuda Hideko stay at his home. I will argue that the seeds of this engagement can be traced back to his time in Matsumoto, when he quit his position as a judge, became the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper and started making public speeches which helped lay the foundation for the Movement for Freedom and People’s Rights in the region. By taking a closer look at the Matsumoto Shimbun back numbers that were published during his time as editor (October 1877 to September 1878), and focusing on those articles that touch upon the life and social position of women, I will bring to light early examples of those features that can be found in his later writings. One of those is his understanding for the plight of prostitutes, which he refused to reject as morally inferior beings. Another one is the adoption of a female persona, that is: writing articles pretending to be a woman, a technique which is found in the very first of his contributions to the Matsumoto Shimbun and which he more conspicuously used in the Jiyū no Tomoshibi seven years later. Sakazaki’s views were not free of inconsistencies: he did not criticize the construction of a new brothel district near the city of Matsumoto in 1878, and even in 1884, he did not advocate full political equality for women. Still, his contribution stands out as a noteworthy act of support for women’s rights that cannot be reduced to opportunism or blind mimicry of Western ideas.