was born on June 21, 1884, in Kawashiri, Kōzan Town, Sera County, Hiroshima Prefecture, the third daughter of . After studying at Kawashiri Elementary School, Hongo Middle School, and the Kozan Needlecraft School, she found employment at a local elementary school. In 1901 she moved to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and enrolled in

Wayo Women's University is a private women's college in Ichikawa, Chiba file:Ichikawashiyakusyo.jpg, 240px, Ichikawa City Hall is a city in western Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 492,749 in 256,229 households and a population dens ...

, subsequently taking a teaching position in

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

. In 1907 she married , an employee of the Imperial Household Ministry. With his help and support, she founded a needlecraft school in

Chiyoda, Tokyo , known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a S ...

, a stone's throw from the Imperial Palace (

Kokyo is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor has his living quarters, the where vari ...

). This school later developed into the Otsuma Girls' Middle and High Schools and

Otsuma Women's University is a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan Founded in 1949, it is located in Sanbanchō,_Chiyoda,_Tokyo, Sanbanchō, near the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Imperial Palace in the Chiyoda City. It began as a sewing school opened ...

and Junior College. In 1952 she founded the Kozan Art and Craft High School and remained its head until her death. Otsuma died on January 3, 1970. Otsuma is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of women's education in Japan, even though the curricula of her schools emphasized

home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences (often shortened to FCS or FACS), is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and f ...

and traditional social values. Her connections to the Imperial Palace and her active support of the

militaristic Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

government led to her being investigated after the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, but no action was taken. Conversely, her contributions to Japanese education were recognized by the following Imperial Awards: *1954　Medal with Blue Ribbon (藍綬褒章, ''ranjuhōshō'') *1964　Order of the Precious Crown, Butterfly (宝冠白蝶章, ''hōkanshirochōshō'') *1970　

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

, Gold and Silver Star (瑞宝重光章, ''zuihōjūkōshō'') In 2002 she was posthumously made an Honorary Citizen of Kozan Town.

External links

Otsuma Women's University

De facto alumni association.

Celebrations of the 120th Anniversary of Otsuma Kotaka's birth. {{DEFAULTSORT:Otsuma, Kotaka 1884 births 1970 deaths People from Hiroshima Prefecture University and college founders Women founders 20th-century Japanese women educators 20th-century Japanese educators