Kishida Toshiko and the Torch of Freedom

In 1884, a young woman contributed an article to the first issue of a new journal. The journal's name – Jiyū no Tomoshibi (TheTorch of Freedom) – signalled that this was a publication devoted to the twin values of liberalism and enlightenment. The inclusion of an article by a woman suggested that the men of the emergent liberal movement were at least willing to think about the possibility of including women in their movement. The woman, Kishida [Nakajima] Toshiko, used the occasion to underline the lack of freedom for women in Japan at the time.

In her article, Kishida at first appears to take the meaning of ‘tomoshibi’ (torch) quite literally, as she enumerates the dangers which await awoman who walks alone at night without a light, but she then turns to a more metaphorical understanding, as she describes the lack of rights of women, who cannot escape a situation of enslavement. She hopes that the torch of freedom will light the way for women for ages to come. The article points out the different ways in which men and women negotiate public space, but it also implies that the new society which is being created must accommodate the needs of both men and women.