On June 12, I started a new essay expecting to finish in a few days. Seven weeks later I am still working on it. I have been working on it every - single - day, through late at night…
It is about komori (子守), young girls who were hired for childcare. It seemed a straightforward topic, but I had to read dozens of books, papers, and contemporary sources. Simplifying and summarizing all this data has been hard. I spent many a day just thinking.
Photos of komori look idyllic—their lives were not. What surprised me the most though is how their story touches all the main aspects of the Meiji Period (1868–1912). Some aspects reach right into our own time.
Yet, even the Japanese themselves barely know their story…
Until now, when I thought of the symbols of the Meiji Period, I thought of Emperor Meiji himself, the railways, the military and navy, the bloody wars with China and Russia, the new architecture, the foreign settlements.
From now on, the crucial Meiji symbol for me will be these girls, the komori.
Like the Empire of Color series, I have chopped this essay up into parts. I hope to start publishing them from around Monday (July 31).
I would love to hear from you about this essay, so I have activated commenting on Substack too. See the comment button? You can still comment on the site as well. Do share your thoughts!
Speak to you soon,
Kjeld
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I am so looking forward to this piece! And so appreciate your research, the effort and the talent. You have found so many hidden bits of Japanese history and brought them to light. Thank you!
I’m really looking forward to this one. I’ve always wondered about those young girls I see in photos like this. We’re they taking care of siblings or related children or others? Looking forward to reading!