Niijima Yae
| Yamamoto Yaeko | |
|---|---|
Yamamoto Yaeko
|
|
| Born |
1 December 1845 Aizu, Mutsu Province, Japan |
| Died | 14 June 1932 (aged 86) Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality |
 Japan
|
| Other names | Niijima Yae |
| Occupation | Nurse |
| Spouse(s) |
Shonosuke Kawasaki (1865–1871) Joseph Hardy Neesima (1876–1890) |
Yamamoto Yaeko (山本 八重子?, 1 December 1845 – 14 June 1932), also known as Niijima Yae (新島八重?), was a Japanese woman of the late Edo period who lived into the early Showa period. She was famously known as the wife of Joseph Hardy Neesima, the founder of Doshisha University and Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts.
Yaeko served as a nurse during the Russo-Japanese War and Sino-Japanese War, and became the first woman outside of Imperial House of Japan to be decorated for her service to the country.
Yaeko was born the daughter of Yamamoto Gonpachi, a samurai and one of the official gunnery instructors in Aizu Domain. Her family claimed descent from the Takeda clan's retainer Yamamoto Kansuke.
Yae was skilled in gunnery, which was highly unusual for a woman of Bakumatsu period. She took part in the defense of Aizu when the Boshin War broke out in 1868. During the Battle of Aizu, she fought against the Meiji government and the coalition forces, defending the Aizuwakamatsu Castle with her Spencer repeating rifle along with Aizu warriors. Prior to the battle, she was originally married to Shonosuke Kawasaki, a Rangaku scholar from Izushi Domain. They were separated after the defeat of Aizu as Shonosuke became a prisoner of war. Their divorce was finalised in 1871.
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