Women in Bakumatsu Period

In the Bakumatsu period after more than 250 years of moment without the capsize of the political ruler, Japan’s society was invited to chaotic times filled with confusion due to the pressures from the western powers. Japan was divided into two groups sharing two opposing political directions. Lead by mainly Satsuma domain (today Kagoshima Prefecture) and Choshu-Han (today Yamaguchi Prefecture), those who preferred capsizing Edo bakufu valued the Japanese emperor to rule Japan again with new-established government. However, areas loyal to on-going shogunate kept supporting the current ruling system. This conflict had accelerated, and eventually provoked a nation-wide battle. Reflecting this moment, it seems that historians focus excessively on male activities, while there were many women’s activity overshadowed, indeed. This project will focus on the main activities of women in Samurai family, mainly Yamamoto Yae, Nakano Takeko, Atsuhime, and Matsuno Taseko.