Kin Fukuzawa

"She was just a gentle, old-fashioned grandmother. Despite being the wife of Yukichi Fukuzawa, she didn't know a word of English, didn't eat butter... (omitted) and boasted that she could drink milk. So we thought of our grandmother as a symbol of the old era." This is a recollection by Eiichi Kiyooka, a grandson of Yukichi Fukuzawa (from "Talking About My Father Yukichi"). This grandmother refers to Yukichi's wife, Kin. Yukichi adored his wife Kin, calling her "Okin-san," and respected and loved her throughout his life. Yukichi reportedly told his grandson Kiyooka, "No matter what I leave in your grandmother's care, she never loses it. The reason I can work without worry and have accumulated some wealth is entirely thanks to your grandmother" (ibid). On the other hand, his fourth daughter, Taki, reflected on her mother Kin, saying, "I don't think my mother understood my father's ideas at all. Since many people of that time didn't understand what my father said, it's no wonder my mother didn't either" (from "Yukichi Fukuzawa in Everyday Clothes").

Kin was born in 1845 as the second daughter of the Toki family at the Nakatsu Domain residence in Shiodome, Edo. According to the "Biography of Yukichi Fukuzawa's Children" written by Yukichi in 1876, the Toki family was a branch of the Okudaira family, who were senior retainers of the Nakatsu Domain. Kin's mother was Hama, the daughter of the Inoue clan of the Yodo Domain, and her father Tarohachi served as a "yojin-yaku" (steward). Yukichi described him as a "person of high character who had transcended worldly desires."

According to stories Eiichi Kiyooka heard from his mother, Kin was named "Kan" in her childhood, but she disliked the name and asked her parents to change it to "Kin" (written with the character for gold). However, she then disliked the kanji character, so after marriage, she had Yukichi think of a new one, and it became "Kin" (written with the character for brocade) using the same sound. Additionally, Kin had a fiancé when she was young but stubbornly refused to marry him. Ultimately, this fiancé was deemed unsuitable and the engagement was canceled, but Kin herself reportedly felt that she would rather lose her life than go through with that marriage.

Kin married Yukichi in the winter of 1861. Kin was 17 and Yukichi was around 26. As mentioned earlier, the Toki family were upper-ranking samurai of the Nakatsu Domain with a stipend of 250 koku. This was more than ten times the stipend of the Fukuzawa family, who were lower-ranking samurai with 13 koku and rations for two. It is said that the primary reason these two, who were of such different social statuses that they normally could not marry, were able to wed was that Kin's father recognized Yukichi's potential and left a will requesting the marriage before he passed away. Furthermore, around this time, Yukichi had completed his first visit to the United States and was appointed as a translator for the Shogunate with a stipend for 20 people and an allowance of 15 ryo. Yukichi's service to the Shogunate is also considered a factor that made the marriage possible.

The Fukuzawas' married life began in a rented house in Shiba Shinsenza with about 20 tatami mats across the first and second floors. After moving several times, they settled in Mita about ten years after their marriage. The Fukuzawa couple was blessed with four sons and five daughters, but they did not hire a wet nurse until their sixth child. According to the recollections of Shigeemon Ito, around 1875 or 1876, there were about six or seven maids and wet nurses, five to ten students, one handyman, and about two grooms. Including the Fukuzawa family and relatives, there were usually an average of 25 or 26 people. Kin managed the maids and wet nurses, supporting this large Fukuzawa household.

Furthermore, the Fukuzawa household was not only frequented by many Keio students, but also hosted home parties and various events. These ranged from events for acquaintances, friends, and Keio students to gatherings where invitations were sent out in the names of the couple or Kin herself, providing a space for women to socialize as advocated in "On Japanese Womanhood." Yukichi's letters reveal that Kin sometimes acted as the host, using her ingenuity to entertain guests at lottery events. Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Wigmore, faculty members of the college who were invited to the meetings, both noted in their letters that although Kin did not speak English, her noble character was evident from her gentle face.

Kin's days were extremely busy with various types of hospitality in addition to housework and childcare. In a letter to her eldest son Ichitaro, she stated, "When I receive invitations from outside, I cannot simply refuse them, and we also have visitors at home, so every day is busy." Due to this busyness, she sometimes even had Yukichi write letters on her behalf to acquaintances, relatives, and even her son studying in the United States.

In the "Biography of Yukichi Fukuzawa's Children," Yukichi wrote, "Although the Fukuzawa and Toki families are from the same domain, their ancestors lived in different places in the East and West and have no blood relation at all." It can be said that Yukichi, who was born in Osaka and spent his later years in Nakatsu, and Kin, who was born in Edo, grew up in the different cultures of the West and East respectively. Even regarding food, there was a custom of eating pufferfish in Nakatsu which Yukichi enjoyed, but Kin reportedly admonished him, saying that if he was going to eat dangerous pufferfish, he should kill the family first, illustrating their differences.

Furthermore, as the daughter of an upper-ranking samurai, Kin had received the "standard upbringing of a domain samurai living in Edo." On the other hand, it is likely that her values differed greatly from those of Yukichi, who grew up in a poor lower-ranking samurai family where he lost his father early and had to help his mother with side jobs, or Yukichi who sought to proactively adopt Western ideas.

For example, for Kin, it was perfectly natural to greet her husband upon his return with a bow and "Welcome home," but Yukichi disliked this. He would intentionally enter through the back to escape, and the sight of Kin chasing after him was said to be like a game of tag. Eventually, Kin gave in and stopped, but it is imagined that there were many things she could not reconcile as someone who had acquired the etiquette of an upper-ranking samurai's daughter. However, letters sent from his travels show that Yukichi relied heavily on Kin daily for things like managing his clothes and preparing his toothbrush.

In his writings, Yukichi advocated for equal rights between men and women and the importance of education for women. There are also letters where he asked his sons studying abroad for an estimate of the costs if he were to send his daughters to study abroad.

However, in reality, the daughters did not study abroad, nor did they even attend school properly. Up to the third daughter, they were briefly enrolled in the Yochisha, but the content they studied was different from the boys, and they quit after about two years. Later, some daughters were enrolled in the Kyoritsu Women's School in Yokohama (now Yokohama Kyoritsu Gakuen), but they were withdrawn after only one or two months. Even though this was a boarding school, petitions were sent asking for the daughters to be allowed to skip weekend services and return home as an exception until they got used to it. According to Kiyooka, a major factor was that "Grandmother said she was so worried and lonely that she called them back." The fifth daughter never attended school even once.

Ultimately, the daughters' education, aside from having foreign women come to the house to teach English, knitting, and cooking, consisted of "completely ordinary female education no different from a normal household," learning "standard lessons" such as koto, shamisen, dance, and Japanese painting. This may have been strongly influenced by the views of Kin, who had received the "standard upbringing of a domain samurai living in Edo." Additionally, Kin's mother, Hama, had retired to the Fukuzawa household after losing her husband early. She is said to have managed all the housework alongside Kin, paying particular attention to the supervision of the maids. Out of consideration for the Okudaira family's "Horein-in Sama," she was so stubborn and formal that she never uttered the word "horenso" (spinach) in her life, calling it "akaneso" instead. Hama's presence may also have influenced the daughters' education.

Yukichi preached that the foundation of life and family is the married couple, and that it is important for the couple to be equal and consult well on all matters. Indeed, in letters Yukichi sent to his son studying abroad, words like "agreement" and "talking together" with "Mother" can be seen. Kin's letters also contain content to the effect that since worries would affect Yukichi's health, she would hear them first and then "consult" with Yukichi.

Furthermore, at the end of every month, collaborative work was seen, such as "always bringing out the ledger and abacus to face each other as a couple" and keeping the household accounts together. Additionally, Kin's hobby was haiku, and she received instruction from Sanji Iida, one of Yukichi's disciples; sometimes Yukichi would join in, showing an effort to engage with Kin's hobby by composing linked verse (renku) together.

On the other hand, the fourth son, Daishiro, heard from his older sister that "Father said this and that about women's rights, but at home he always did exactly as he pleased without hesitation." However, he analyzed that in reality, "it probably happened naturally because there was no one to oppose him," and reflected that the reason the marriage was harmonious without quarrels was likely because "Mother was a Japanese-style woman and an extremely calm and obedient person, so no problems arose" (from "My Father, Yukichi Fukuzawa").

For more than 20 years after Yukichi passed away, Kin lived alone in the Mita house as a widow. According to Kiyooka, she did not rely on her children for care, but rather "the children and grandchildren relied on her." There was a "fine office desk in the corner of the living room," and she was so composed that he thought, "She was a gentle person who might scold but never got angry, was always calm, and never relaxed her posture, so no matter how hot it was in summer, I thought only Grandmother was not hot." He said that because she "gave instructions to the maids in a natural flow, it made us feel very relaxed as well."

To her grandchildren, Kin was a "gentle person" and at the same time a "symbol of the old era," as mentioned at the beginning. Depending on how one looks at it, could it not be said that in her later years, despite being the wife of Yukichi Fukuzawa, Kin was able to "grow old" as an "old-fashioned grandmother"? This might be because Yukichi and Kin respected each other's values as independent individuals and prioritized dialogue, consultation, and collaborative work.

Kin passed away in 1924 and was buried at Joko-ji Temple, where Yukichi rests; she was later reinterred at Zenpuku-ji Temple along with Yukichi.

During his lifetime, Yukichi believed that Kin should also have her own property and made deposits in Kin's name. After Kin's death, that property had grown significantly, so a memorial fund named the "Nishiki-kai" was established to help relatives and support the Juku. Currently, this fund is used for the copies of "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" presented to every year's Yochisha graduates, and even now, Grandmother Kin's kindness is delivered to the young Keio students.

(Reference: "Yukichi Fukuzawa and Women" by Naoko Nishizawa)