Iwamoto Yoshiharu

Iwamoto Yoshiharu (厳本 善治, 1863 – 1942),[1] also known as Iwamoto Zenji, was an early and prominent advocate of women's education in Meiji Japan.

Iwamoto Yoshiharu
Yoshiharu Iwamoto (1863-1942) was a Japanese educator
Born	July 30, 1863  Japan Izushi Hyogo
Died	October 6, 1942 (aged 79)
Other names	厳本 善治
Occupation	educator
Relatives	granddaughter:Mari Iwamoto (violinist)

Biography

Born at Izushi in Izushi Domain, now part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Iwamoto as the second son of Inoue Tōbei (井上藤兵衛). At age six, he was adopted into his maternal line under Iwamoto Hanji (厳本範治). He began his education with Nakamura Masanao in 1876 at Nakamura's Dōjinsha school, where he studied English; in 1880 he advanced to Tsuda Sen's Friends School to study agriculture. In 1882 he took up a place at Kimura Kumaji's school to study Christian theology. He was baptized in 1883.

In cooperation with Kondō Kenzō, Iwamoto started a magazine Jogaku shinshi which existed only one year in 1884.[2] Then they began a long publishing career with Jogaku zisshi (女学雑誌) in 1885.[2] There, and afterwards, Iwamoto wrote forcefully to advocate changes to Japanese society with respect to women's roles in society. He called for better education for women, the expansion of their civil rights, and for the refoundation of marriage on the basis of love and respect between husband and wife. Still, he held that women's place was in the home—they would be educated to run efficient, hygienic, and economical homes so as to raise intelligent, moral, and service-minded children.

Beginning in 1885 Iwamoto helped to found and taught at Meiji Girls' School (明治女学校) in Kōjimachi, Tokyo with Tsuda Umeko, Kimura Kenzō, Shimada Saburo, and Tada Umachi.

Publications

• 女學雜誌, Issues 251-275 (1891)

References

1. 巖本善治 1863-1942
2. Margaret Mehl. "Book review (Frauenerziehung und Frauenbild im Umbruch. Ideale von Mädchenerziehung, Frauenrolle und weiblichen Lebensentwürfen in der frühen Jogaku zasshi (1885-1889))". Monumenta Nipponica. 60 (1).