作品简介

　　明治维新期间，日本倡导“文明开化”，大力发展教育，开始走向现代化。这次划时代意义的改革，不仅是全面现代化的政治革命，也是日本女性意识觉醒的关键时刻。处于时代的锐变中，武士家族的女孩们能否接受未来的挑战？她们又如何改变了日本的社会景观？

　　1891年，明治政府开拓使选派5名女留学生随岩仓使团前往美国留学。她们的使命是学习西方文化和规则，学成后归国协助培养将要领导国家的新一代开明日本人。5名女孩中最后只有3名留在美国学习。山川舍松、津田梅子和永井繁子都生长于传统的武士家族，作为日本第一批公派留学生，一到美国，她们立刻成了名人。留学期间，她们寄宿于美国家庭，在西方文化和教育的熏陶下，几乎彻底融入当地社会，成为了典型的美国女学生。

　　10年后，她们学成归国，却发现自己已成了故乡的陌生人。在异质文化的融合和冲撞下，女孩们坚定信念，踽踽前行，立志为日本教育改革做出贡献。在这场女性教育的革命中：山川舍松推动日本外交，协助创立日本红十字会，津田梅子创立日本知名学府津田塾大学，永井繁子也成为当时知名的教育家。

　　本书通过大量档案资料和书信写就而成，作者通过历史和传记的迷人编织，展现了明治维新期间，女性地位和命运的变迁，以及日本社会、政治、文化、教育的深刻转折。

　　作者：

　　贾尼斯·宝莫伦斯·二村（JaniceP.Nimura），哥伦比亚大学东亚研究硕士，美国作家、书评人，日本媳妇，在日本生活多年，研究领域：东亚史，日本史。

　　译者：

　　马霖，现居北京，财经记者，翻译爱好者，中英日三语翻译，目前正研习德语。已出版《民粹主义大爆炸：经济大衰退如何改变美国和欧洲政治》《用天才向极峰探险：乔伊斯导读》。

Introduction of works

During the Meiji Restoration, Japan advocated "civilization and civilization", vigorously developed education, and began to modernize. This epoch-making reform is not only a political revolution of comprehensive modernization, but also a key moment in the awakening of Japanese women's consciousness. In the sharp change of The Times, can the girls of the samurai family accept the challenges of the future? And how have they changed the social landscape in Japan?

In 1891, the Meiji government sent five female students to study in the United States with the Iwakura Mission. Their mission is to learn Western culture and rules and then return home to help nurture a new generation of enlightened Japanese who will lead the country. Only three of the five girls ended up studying in the United States. Shematsu Yamakawa, Umeko Tsuda and Shigiko Nagai all grew up in traditional samurai families and became instant celebrities when they arrived in the United States as Japan's first government-run students. During their study abroad, they stayed with American families, and under the influence of Western culture and education, they almost completely integrated into local society and became typical American female students.

Ten years later, they returned to China, only to find that they had become strangers in their hometown. Under the integration and collision of different cultures, the girls have firm faith and are determined to contribute to the reform of education in Japan. In this revolution of women's education: Yamagawa Shematsu promoted Japan's diplomacy and helped to found the Japanese Red Cross Society; Tsuda Umeko founded the famous Japanese university Tsuda Juku; Nagai Shigeko also became a well-known educator at that time.

Drawn from a wealth of archival materials and letters, the author weaves a fascinating tapestry of history and biography to show the changing status and fate of women during the Meiji Restoration, as well as the profound changes in Japanese society, politics, culture, and education.

Author:

Janice Baumorense Nimura (JaniceP.Nimura), Columbia University master of East Asian studies, American author, book reviewer, Japanese wife, lived in Japan for many years, research areas: East Asian history, Japanese history.

Translator:

Ma Lin, a Beijing-based financial journalist and translator, is currently studying German. The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Changed American and European Politics and The Genius of the Peak: A Guide from Joyce.