Clara’s Diary: An
American Girl in Meiji
Clara
Whitney
ISBN
0-87011-470-0
Notes
compiled by s-girl 12/2004 for himuragumi (based on 4th
edition)
Major dates:
1877
Satsuma Rebellion// Saigo
1878:
Ueno National Exhibition (henceforth, every 5 years)
1879:
General Grant visits
November
3-5: Birthday of the Mikaido (emperor), schools and
stores closed
November
19 (pg 149) Shokonsha festival (see Shokonsha
notes under locales)
December
16: Ichiroku (official holiday ??)
February
11, Commemoration of foundation of Nation
March
3: Girl’s Day (see notes on
May
5: Boy’s Day
May
15: O Inari – festival in Nagasaka.
Inari=rice god, whose servant is the fox. All girls who dance in public are said to
become “blessed with fortune,” although the authoress wryly notes that most do
not by her standards.
1.
Lance
and sword practice: kenjutsu
2.
Archery
by mounted horsemen (Yabusame)
3.
Japanese
horsemanship (hōrō and kinubiki)
4.
Inu-ou-mono (24 horsemen with bows and arrows
hunting a “sham dog”)
Technological notes:
l
Steamship
Oceanic was in operation at this time.
(Capable of transpacific travel in a few weeks). Docked at
l
Rail
between
l
Main
mode of transportation w/I town was the jinrikisha (“rikishaw”,
pulled by coolies)
l
Weather:
Pg
31: “Winter and fall are the most pleasant parts of the year. Summers quite warm.”
*note
that typhoon season peaks around July. ^___^
Costs/wages:
Pg
27: Maid works for ten dollars/year
Silk
scarves: four yen apiece (see locales)
Foods and goods available:
l
Pg
29: peaches, bread, tomatoes, pears, beans eggplants, eggs, potatoes, corns and
onions. “Pears cheap, peaches not.”
“Plenty of tea, coffee, rice, milk, and sugar.”
l
“Furniture
and crockery of foreign exportation are the highest of anything in price.”
l
Pg
200: Ice cream!
Housing/Buildings:
l
Pg
41: In the advent of an earthquake, “it is best to run outside,” unlike what we
are told in the West, due to construction of the buildings.
l
Pg
64: 3 storied teahouse described (from context, appears to be an anomaly. Most
buildings were 2 storied). Had a
foreign-furnished dining room. It
appears many buildings at this time (at least amongst those with frequent
patronage by Westerners) had at least one ‘western room’ with chairs and tables
Culture/Customs:
l
Pg 56: “Ladies and gentlemen in
l
Pg
102: Japanese think it’s a “disgrace for a woman to ride or drive horses.” (heh.)
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Pg
110: Post-fire parties (?!): People bring presents if you were in vicinity
of a fire, and your home escapes unharmed.
l
Pg
209: Japanese instruments. Wagon (ancient
harp), koto (modern
harp), shō
(pipes), biwa (lute), flutes, drums, and hichiriki (oboe)
l
Pg
212: Chushingura – “The Treasury of the Royal
Retainers” drama
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Pg
261 footnote: Portuguese missionaries brought Catholicism to
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Pg 67: Girl’s Festival: Dolls cost 25 cents to
4 dollars. “It is customary at this time
of year to present every girl with a number of dolls, and the wealthier the
family and friends are, the more dolls a girl
gets.” “Dolls represent court life.”
l
“Hairpins” (pg 302), Clara states
the hairpin fashions change constantly. The older women favor hair that is
tightly and properly put up. In 1880, at
date of this entry, long golden hairpins were “all the rage.” She stated that the loose, almost down look
was in amongst the younger women, much to the chagrin of the person she was
conversing with
Education
l
Pg
197: Sakurai Jogakkō
(Sakurai girl’s school) mentioned (1878). There were several girls’ schools
open at this time.
l
Pg
201: Empress’ College -> Shihan Gakko: “
l
Pg
234: Dōninsha Jogakkō
at Hirakawacho, Darumazaka
or “Nakamura’s Girls’ school opens”
l
Pg
235, another school exists in Seido.
l
Pg
236:
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Pg
339: Kaiseijo
or Kaisei Gakko: Educational
institution specializing in Western subjects (1863 was renamed as Kaiseijo) established in 1811 to translate Dutch texts. In 1877 combined with medical faculty and
formed the nucleus of
Random:
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Circus
described at least once or twice. Also,
a hot air balloon was described (pg 136)
l
The
crest of Tokugawa was described as the aoi or the hollyhock (pg 147)
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The
girl’s name O tsuru means “stork”
l
“Kawaji” is mentioned on page 168, as a person who
accompanied the Japanese embassy to
Locales:
(Glossary)
Land formerly belonged to the Kan’eiji, was the
family temple of the Tokugawa Shoguns
Home
to Tōshōgū Shrine (5 storied pagoda)
On a “wooded bluff in eastern part of
Note
that Seiyoken hotel had a branch restaurant in
Ueno.
Pg 28: Seiyoken Hotel
(Glossary)
“Western style hotel in Tsukiji”, founded 1872, destroyed in the Great Earthquake
of 1928 (seemed
to be a frequent part of many Westerner’s activities. Meals were regularly
served here.)
-Established
a branch restaurant in 1876 in
-Stone
verandah, dining hall
-General
Grant and his wife passed through here during their tour (pg 251)
Pg
34: Asakusa
– one of
Pg
47: flower garden
Pg ?? “Went up the Umemecho (river), crossed the bridge and the great main
street was the
Pg
173: Curio store said to be owned by a “character named Hakodateya”
Items
sold: silks, parasols, crepe, china, flowers, toys
Nihonbashi?? : Doll Show described
here.
Pg
211: YMCA on
Pg. 111: Daimaru
Two
floor structure. “Silkhouse”
(pg 116), likened to a “Stewart’s” – sold silks, dresses, shirts, and scarves
(scarves noted on pg 161 to be 4 yen apiece)
Pg 48: Hamagoten (The Emperor’s
Pg
138 “groves of cherry, bamboo, growing sided by side with elm, beech, pine,
oak, cedar and palm”, views of
Pg 52: Atago
“A
popular place for sightseers,” At its summit, supposedly an excellent
view of
Pg 74: Kabuki theatre on
Pg 160: “
Pg 78: Famous gardens of
Kameido
Pg ??: Opening of the
Pg 94: Takanawa – the burial place of the 47 Rōnin
The
Forty-seven were ex-retainers of a daimyo of moderate standing, who avenged
themselves on the shogunal official who had forced
their overlord to commit suicide. These
47 were ordered to commit suicide themselves for having broken the letter of the
law.
“A
little further on was an old man who sold… mementos of the place.” We went up a shady path until we entered the
cemetery and found in the midst of a green nest of large and noble trees the
graves of the 47. (“The Treasury of the
Loyal Retainers” is the kabuki play referenced on page 212 based on this story)
Pg 142: Kaitakushi – An experimental farm run by the military. Clara’s family went to buy vegetables and
other things from time to time from there.
Pg 149: Shokonsha
The
shrine was established in 1869 and was dedicated to the souls of Japanese who
since the Restoration, died in the cause of their country (after 1879, called
the Yasukuru Jinga). The festival that occurred on November 19th
was said to have a horse race, an opera (Noh play), wrestling, and fireworks
Pg 97: Enoshima – 36 miles from
A
sightseeing and summer resort, wooded inlet of 45 acres. 1/4 mile from shore in Sagaru (sp?) Bay
Pg 180: Mukojima
A
place for cherry-blossom viewing
Pg 182: Meguro or “Black
Eyes”
-A
quiet place with one teahouse – the Uchidaya – the
walls of which are inlaid with coral and shells
-said
to have a garden of iris flowers (pg 240), also peonies (182)
Nearby
locales: Temple of Fudo-sama, grave of Komurasaki and Gonpachi, “two unhappy lovers of olden times”
Pg 208: Nakadori: Full of curio houses, bronze vases, cloisonné
house described with a collection of Imari ware
Pg 209: Conservatory of Japanese music in Yushima near Shokonsha
Pg 232: Cherry blossoms at Mukojima
Pg 258-9: Shintomiza Theatre
The
authoress describes attending a play there, one that tells the tale of MInamoto Yishie (Go-sannen Oshu gunki)
that features three principals: Sumiyoshi (God of poetry), Hitomaro
(poet laureate of the court at
Pg
271: a teahouse across the way served customers
Pg 334: Rokumeikan: Large hall that was described as being rented
for the Emperor’s birthday festivities. Accomodates up to a 1000? Guest
list was stated to have included approximately 1000 persons.