Wada Ei
Encyclopedia
was a textile worker and memoirist during the Meiji Era in Japan, daughter of samurai from Matsushiro, Shinano Province
. She is known for writing a memoir called the "Tomioka Diary" (Tomioka Nikki) in which she chronicled her life among the female workers in the Tomioka silk mill
.
She was among the daughters of samurai
who were recruited in 1873, the sixth year of the Meiji period, from across the nation for practical training over a period of two to three years in the silk production process. They later became trainers in silk manufacture in their own prefectures.
Upon leaving Tomioka in 1874, the government awarded Wada and her colleagues medals and the special title "Women Spinners' Victory Battalion". She became a trainer at the Saijō Village Silk Reeling Factory (later Rokkōsha mill) in Matsushiro, Nagano Prefecture
.
Wada married an army officer, who later died in 1913 from wounds he sustained in the Russo-Japanese war. She began composing the Tomioka Nikki while living at the Furukawa Mine company house at the Ashio Copper Mine
, where her son was a manager. It was published after her death by him, leading some historians to doubt it's authenticity.
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
. She is known for writing a memoir called the "Tomioka Diary" (Tomioka Nikki) in which she chronicled her life among the female workers in the Tomioka silk mill
Tomioka silk mill
Tomioka Silk Mill is Japan's oldest modern model silk reeling factory, established in 1872 by the government to introduce modern machine silk reeling from France and spread its technology in Japan. The factory is designated by the government as a historical site and all its buildings are...
.
She was among the daughters of samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who were recruited in 1873, the sixth year of the Meiji period, from across the nation for practical training over a period of two to three years in the silk production process. They later became trainers in silk manufacture in their own prefectures.
Upon leaving Tomioka in 1874, the government awarded Wada and her colleagues medals and the special title "Women Spinners' Victory Battalion". She became a trainer at the Saijō Village Silk Reeling Factory (later Rokkōsha mill) in Matsushiro, Nagano Prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
.
Wada married an army officer, who later died in 1913 from wounds he sustained in the Russo-Japanese war. She began composing the Tomioka Nikki while living at the Furukawa Mine company house at the Ashio Copper Mine
Ashio Copper Mine
The Ashio Copper Mine, Ashio, Tochigi prefecture, Japan became very significant from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. It was the site of major pollution in the 1880s and the scene of the 1907 miners riots....
, where her son was a manager. It was published after her death by him, leading some historians to doubt it's authenticity.