was a Japanese educator and politician who served as a member of the
House of Councillors
The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...
. She is believed to be the first woman to become the principal of a Japanese school.
Name
Her maiden surname was , and her pen name was .
Biography
Kiuchi Kyō was born on 14 February 1884 in the Asakusa Morishita town in the
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as .
History
The development of Asaku ...
ward of Tokyo, the first-born child of artist . The Awashima family business was a well-known
honeycomb toffee
Honeycomb toffee, honeycomb candy, sponge toffee, cinder toffee, seafoam, or hokey pokey is a sugary toffee with a light, rigid, sponge-like texture. Its main ingredients are typically brown sugar (or corn syrup, molasses or golden syrup) and bak ...
shop, but they made a living by charging rent for the remaining estate and selling it, such as giving up the store with her grandparents.
Even when she was nine years old, her father did not allow her to enter elementary school. Worried after her graduation from high school, she attended a normal school, and she graduated from
Tokyo Women's Normal School
is a women's national university in the Ōtsuka neighborhood of Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Ochanomizu is the name of a Tokyo neighborhood where the university was founded.
History
The university traces its origins to 1875, when Tokyo Women ...
in March 1903 and was assigned to Minamikatsushika Ordinary Primary School. In March 1909, she married , a teacher at Urawa Junior High School, and she chose to maintain her
work–life balance
In the intersection of Employment, work and personal life, the work–life balance is the equilibrium between the two. There are many aspects of one's personal life that can intersect with work, including family, leisure, and health. A work–lif ...
. In April 1910, she was transferred to Nihonbashi-no-Jōtō Ordinary Elementary School. She entered the Tokyo Women's Normal School's advanced courses in April 1926, and after completing the course, she was transferred to Jūon Ordinary Primary School. In October 1931, she became the principal of Itabashi no Shimura First Ordinary Primary School of Itabashi, and she remained in that position until July 1941. She also founded Kiuchi Academy in Takinogawa and served as the head of a pigeon garden.
She was also vice-president of the National Primary School Union's Female Teachers Association, director of the Tokyo Education Association's Women's Training Department, a member of the Japan International Association's Women's Committee, director of the Tokyo Women's Patriotic Association, and a councillor of the Dai Nippon Women's Association. She was a representative of the 1928 Pan-Pacific Women's Conference in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, she became a member of the
Imperial Rule Assistance Association
The , or Imperial Aid Association, was the Empire of Japan's ruling political organization during much of the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was created by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe on 12 October 1940, to promote the goals ...
's Central Cooperation Council.
After an unsuccessful attempt in the
1946 Japanese general election
1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
, where she received 21,185 votes for the
House of Councillors national district
The was a 50-member electoral district for the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet of Japan, from 1947 to 1980. It consisted of the whole country. In staggered elections, it elected 100 of the 250 members of the House of C ...
among 120 candidates, she was elected to the
House of Councillors national district
The was a 50-member electoral district for the House of Councillors, the upper house of the National Diet of Japan, from 1947 to 1980. It consisted of the whole country. In staggered elections, it elected 100 of the 250 members of the House of C ...
in the
1947 Japanese House of Councillors election
House of Councillors elections were held in Japan on 20 April 1947.Minshu Club and dedicated herself to issues involving education and female teachers.''教育一路'', p. 145
Kiuchi Kyō died on 7 November 1964 at the age of 80.