[Reprinted Edition] Junior High History Textbook for Girls

## Women rarely mentioned in today's history textbooks

Everyone knows Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji. The name Princess Kazunomiya has been heard in history classes. But what of the empress who decided to lead an army herself after her husband died? The warrior's wife who committed suicide rather than become a hostage in the prelude to Sekigahara? Or the woman who hid imperial loyalists in a mountain villa and continued to watch for the dawn of the Restoration while being exiled to a remote island?

This book is a reprint of 'Junior High History 2 & 3', a national history textbook for girls' high schools written by the Ministry of Education at the end of the Greater East Asia War. This textbook, which was recalled and disposed of by GHQ after the war, depicts women—rarely mentioned in today's history textbooks—concretely throughout history from the age of the gods to the end of the Edo period.

## Women who supported each era

This textbook's greatest feature is that it was compiled specifically for girls. Unlike textbooks for boys, this book consciously incorporates the achievements of women at each historical milestone.

In the 'Development of Imperial Might' chapter, records of princesses serving in the dedication of the sacred mirror appear. A warrior's wife who helped her husband defeat a large Ezo army is also mentioned. In the 'Heian Era' chapter, alongside Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon, female poets such as Izumi Shikibu, Ise no Taifu, Akazome Emon, and Koshikibu no Naishi are featured, along with the authors of Tosa Nikki and Sarashina Nikki. In the 'Kyoto and Kamakura' chapter, alongside the assistance provided by Hojo Masako, the story of Tokiyori's mother, Matsushita Zenni, who passed down family precepts to her son, is told. In the 'Muromachi and Sengoku' chapters, the story of Takeda Katsuyori's wife, who shared her husband's fate at Tenmokuzan, and Hosokawa Tadaoki's wife, who chose death to fulfill her chastity and principles, are depicted. Finally, in the 'Bakumatsu Political Situation' chapter, the life of Nomura Motoni, who hid imperial loyalists, was exiled to a remote island, and continued to pray for military fortune through fasting, is carefully recorded.

## Anecdotes of unknown women

The story of the mothers who supported the Ako Vendetta is not widely known. The book records that Teiritsuni, the mother of Ohtaka Gengo and his brother, did not shed a single tear at their seppuku, instead helping and encouraging the families of the loyalists and praying for their souls until her death. Kaga no Chiyojo, appearing in the 'Shogunate and Daimyo' chapter, is a haiku poet known for the phrase, 'The morning glory has taken the well bucket, so I ask for water.' Arakida Reijo was born to a family of Shinto priests in Ise and wrote waka, renga, and historical stories. Ohtagaki Rengetsu was known for her varied arts and reportedly used the income from her pottery to help the poor.

## Gathering the silhouettes of forgotten women from past textbooks

The majestic figures of Japanese women, which ceased to be passed down due to the disconnection of history caused by the war defeat, remain in this book.

## A literary style different from modern history books

While obsolete characters and kana have been converted to modern usage, and difficult vocabulary is explained at the end, the literary style and unique expressions of the time remain, offering a different reading experience from modern history books.

## Book Information
- Title: [Reprinted Edition] Junior High History Textbook for Girls
- Author: Ministry of Education
- Commentary: Mio Sugita
- Specifications: A5, paperback, 220 pages
- ISBN: 978-4802402590
- Release Date: May 19, 2026
- Price: 1,700 yen (excl. tax)
- Publisher: Heart Publishing