Ichiyo Higuchi was a Japanese author who lived during the Meiji period in the late 19th century, a time when Japan rapidly modernized. She came from a samurai family but faced hardship in her life, including the death of her father which forced her at a young age to support her family. Despite only living until age 24, she wrote several acclaimed works and is regarded as the first professional female writer in modern Japanese literature. Her novella "Takekurabe" depicted the lives of children in a neighborhood near a red-light district and addressed themes of childhood innocence and societal roles. Though her career was short, she remains an influential figure in Japanese literature.

1. Ichiyo Higuchi
(1872-1896)

2. She lived during the Meiji Period
• Meiji means "enlightened rule.”
• The Meiji period denotes the 45-year reign of the
Meiji Emperor, running, in the Gregorian calendar,
from 23 October 1868 to 30 July 1912.
• During this time, Japan started it modernization and
rose to world power status.

3. Admiral Togo on the bridge of the Mikasa,
before the Battle of Tsushima in 1905.
Japanese destroyers launch
a night attack.
Emperor Meiji in his fifties

4. Her Life
•
She was born in Meiji era Tokyo of samurai lineage.
•
In the space of her short life, she moved a total of 12 times.
•
Upon reaching the age of 14, she entered the Haginoya, a poetry
school.
•
At the age of 15, she suffered the loss of her brother, and her
father's business failed.
•
Shortly afterward, he died and at the young age of 17 she became
the head of the Higuchi household.

5. •
After seeing the success of a classmate who wrote a novel,
Higuchi decided to become a writer to support her family.
•
At the age of 20, Higuchi wrote her first novel and also adopted
the pen name of Ichiyō.
•
Around this time, Higuchi turned down a marriage proposal
(which likely would have signaled the end of her writing career)
and moved to a house near the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters.
•
In 1894 her first major work, Ō tsugomori ( 大 つ ご も り ) was
published, and in the following year, Takekurabe ( たけくらべ ,
translated into English as "Growing Up" and as "Child's Play"),
たけくらべ

6. • Nigorie ( に ご り え , translated into English as
"Troubled Waters"), and Jūsanya ( 十 三 夜 ) were
published to critical and popular success.
• Higuchi's literary career was cut short in 1896, when
she contracted, and soon died of, tuberculosis.
• In spite of her very short career and limited output,
Higuchi is remembered for the quality of her works
and is considered to be the first professional female
writer in modern Japanese literature.

7. 5000 Yen Note
Higuchi's likeness adorns the Japanese 5000 yen note as of the
Fall of 2004, becoming the third fem to appear on a Japanese
ale
banknote, after Empress Jingū in 1881, and Murasaki Shikibu in
2000. Next to Jingū, she is the second woman to be featured
prominently on a Japanese banknote.

8. In the Shade of Spring Leaves
• “Child’s Play” is
included with other
short stories.
• The link on the
cover will take you
to
the
Amazon
page.

9. Takekurabe
•
Translated by Edward Seidensticker as Growing Up and by
Robert Danly as Child's Play.
•
This is the most famous novella written by Higuchi Ichiyo.
•
The principal characters are children living on the edge of the
Yoshiwara, a district of Tokyo licensed for prostitution:
– Nobuyuki: the son of a Buddhist priest,
– Shota: the son of a pawnshop owner, (mainstreet)
– Chokichi: the fire chief's son (backstreet)
– Midori: the sister of a prostitute.
•
As they grow up, they find themselves assuming their family
professions and losing the freedom they enjoyed as children.

10. Important Questions
• Where is innocence in the world of
children and in the world of adults?
• Why set the story near the red-light
district?
• Where is the theme of the outsider cut
off from his or her surroundings?
• What is significant of the changes in
Midori’s character?

11. Sites Cited
• “Ichiyō Higuchi” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 23
April 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higuchi_Ichiy
%C5%8D
• “In the Shade of Spring Leaves.” Amazon.com 23 April
2009. http://www.amazon.com/Shade-Spring-LeavesHiguchi-Stories/dp/0393309134/ref=sr_1_1?
ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240506485&sr=1-1#reader