Dora E. Schoonmaker (1851–1934) was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and a founding teacher of "Joshi Shogakko (女子小学校: Girls' Elementary School)" in

Azabu is an area in Minato,Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Azabu- ...

-Shimborichō, Tokyo, which developed into

Aoyama Gakuin is an educational institute in Tokyo, Japan, which comprises Aoyama Gakuin University, Aoyama Gakuin Women's Junior College, Aoyama Gakuin Senior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Junior High School, Aoyama Gakuin Elementary School, and Aoyama Gakuin ...

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Early life

Dora E. Schoonmaker was born on November 14, 1851, in the town of

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

Ulster County Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History F ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the daughter of Jacob and Patience Schoonmaker.John W. Krummel ed.『来日メソジスト宣教師事典（1873－1993）』東京：教文館、1996, p223 (ISBN：978-4-7642-4019-3)

Mission to Japan

Initially, she was a public school teacher in

Morris, Illinois Morris is a city in and the county seat of Grundy County, Illinois, United States and part of the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. The population was estimated at 15,053 in 2019. Description Morris is the Grundy County seat and has a larg ...

. However, she wanted to go abroad as a missionary and was sent to Japan on October 28, 1874 (at the age of 23) by the Women's Foreign Missionary Bureau of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

in the United States. She was the first female missionary in Japan. In the same year, she opened "Joshi Shogakko," the oldest origin of Aoyama Gakuin and a pioneering school for girls' education in the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, at Heizo Okada's residence in

-Hommurachō, later moved to Azabu-Shimborichō, and served as its principal until she returned to the United States. The school was forced to change its name to "Kyusei Gakko (救世学校, Salvation School" and "Kaigan Jyogakko (海岸女学校, Coastal Girls' School)" due to criticism of Christianity, but later developed into Aoyama Gakuin.

Later life

On November 3, 1879, after five years of service, she returned to the United States. She married Henry Martin Soper (not to be confused with Julius Soper) and had a son, Duane.John W. Krummel ed.『来日メソジスト宣教師事典（1873－1993）』東京：教文館、1996, p223 (ISBN：978-4-7642-4019-3) When the Kaigan Girls' School, the successor to the Girls' Elementary School, was destroyed by fire, she made a pilgrimage to raise funds for its reconstruction. She died on December 5, 1934, and was buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles.Odd Fellows Cemetery
/ref> Dora E

In commemoration of her achievements, a stone monument has now been erected in front of the AGU Berry Hall on the Aoyama Campus, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoonmaker, Dora E. 1851 births 1934 deaths American Methodist missionaries Methodist missionaries in Japan