was an Ainu

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and evangelist.

Life

Yaeko Batchelor was born on June 13, 1884, in Usu, Date City,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

. Her name was entered into the family register as , and her childhood name was Fuchi. Her father was , a member of a powerful Ainu family, and whose Ainu name was . Her mother was named . Among Yaeko's five siblings was the Anglican pastor . Yaeko's father deeply trusted the Anglican missionary

John Batchelor John Calvin Batchelor (born April 29, 1948) is an American author and host of ''Eye on the World'' on the CBS Audio Network. His flagship station is New York's 710 WOR. The show is a hard-news-analysis radio program on current events, world his ...

, and allowed Yaeko to be baptized. However, when Yaeko was 11, her father died. When she was 13, she set out for

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

to attend the Ainu Girls' School that Batchelor operated, and later advanced to St. Hilda's School in Tokyo. In 1906, when Yaeko was 22, she was adopted by John Batchelor and his wife Louisa. January in 1909 Yaeko accompanied the pair on a trip to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and was commissioned as a lay evangelist by the Archbishop of Canterbury. She pursued this mission in Biratori and

Noboribetsu is a city in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park, it is southwest of Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo ...

. In 1912, she went with her adopted father to

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh ...

to spread her faith there. In 1931, a collection of her ''tanka'' poems entitled was published. Her adoptive mother Louisa died in 1936, and was buried in Maruyama Cemetery in Sapporo. Her adoptive father John Batchelor died in 1944. Yaeko stored about 250 of his books and some of his other items in her home after his death. Yaeko Batchelor died on 29 April 1962, in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

while visiting there, at the age of 78.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Batchelor, Yaeko Japanese Ainu people Japanese women poets People from Date, Hokkaido Japanese Anglicans 1884 births 1962 deaths 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese poets