Takeko Kujō (, ''Kujō Takeko'', September 7, 1887 – February 7, 1928) was a Japanese educator and poet. She was one of the founders of the

Buddhist Women's Association The Buddhist Women's Association (BWA) is the English name of the worldwide auxiliary lay organization of the Nishi Hongwanji-ha branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Its Japanese name is ''Fujinkai''. Many Jodo Shinshu temples in Japan, mainland Uni ...

Biography

Kujō was born in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

as the daughter of Ōtani Kōson (Myōnyo), the 21st

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of the

Nishi Hongan-ji is a Buddhist temple in the Shimogyō ward of Kyoto, Japan. It serves as the head temple of the sub-sect Honganji-ha. It is one of two temple complexes in Kyoto, the other being Higashi Hongan-ji, which is the head temple of the sub-sect � ...

and the head of the Honganji-ha

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) S ...

branch of

Japanese Buddhism Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

. Her elder brother,

Ōtani Kōzui Count Ōtani Kōzui (大谷光瑞, 27 December 1876 – 5 October 1948) was a Japanese Buddhism in Japan, Buddhist leader and explorer who was the 22nd Abbot (Buddhism), Abbot of Nishi Hongan-ji and the head of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Hon ...

was the 22nd abbot of the temple, and a noted explorer of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

, while another brother, was Ōtani Sonyu, was a politician who served in the House of Peers. Her mother was the daughter of a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

from

Kii Domain Kii or KII can refer to: History * Gosanke#Kii House, Kii House, a branch family of the Tokugawa clan that ruled Japan during the Edo period * Yūshi Naishinnō-ke no Kii, or Lady Kii of Princess Yūshi's Household, a poet and noblewoman in the Hei ...

and the second wife of her father. She was educated at the predecessor to the Kyoto Women's University. In 1903, on the death of her father, she came into the care of her brother Kozui. Her public life began during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

of 1904–1905, when she co-founded the

, which was active in sending care packages to soldiers at the front, and to helping families who had lost their sons in combat. In 1909, she entered into an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

with Baron

Kujō Yoshimasa literally means ''ninth street'' in Japanese. Names * Kujō family, a Japanese ''kuge'' family and one of the five regent houses (''go-sekke'') Fictional characters *, character in the anime/manga series ''Kin-iro Mosaic'' * Jōtarō Kūjō (� ...

, the brother of her sister-in-law. She went to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

where her husband attended

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. She returned to Japan after one year, leaving her husband (who was later assigned to the branch of the

Yokohama Specie Bank The was a Japanese bank founded in Yokohama in 1880, which dominated the Japanese market for trade finance in subsequent decades. It has been described as a "quasi-governmental exchange bank that was the overseas financial agent of the Japanese ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) behind. The couple lived apart for most of their lives. After the 1923

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

which devastated

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 the surrounding

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

, Kujō sponsored various humanitarian efforts, which led to the reconstruction of the

Tsukiji Hongan-ji , officially romanized ''Hongwan-ji'', is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, Buddhist temple located in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo, Japan. The temple is adjacent to Tsukiji Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. History Tsukiji Hongan-ji's prede ...

temple, and the foundation of Asoka Hospital, one of Japan's first modern medical centers. Kujō was also a noted poet, having studied under

Nobutsuna Sasaki was a ''tanka'' poet and scholar of the Nara and Heian periods of Japanese literature. He was active during the Shōwa period of Japan. Early life Sasaki was born in what is now part of Suzuka city, Mie prefecture. He was considered a child pro ...

. She wrote numerous poems and ''

gatha ''Gāthā'' is a Sanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends or folklores, and is not part of the Vedas but peculiar to either Epic Sanskrit or to Prakrit. The word is originally derived ...

s'' about her ''Nembutsu'' faith, publishing her first volume of poetry, ''Kinrei'' (金)鈴) in 1920, followed by a stage play ''Rakuhoku'' (洛北) in 1925. A second volume of poetry followed in 1928, ''Kunzen'' (薫染) and an autobiography, ''Shirokujaku'' (白孔雀) in 1930. On February 7, 1928, she contracted blood poisoning due to overexertion from her efforts in the earthquake reconstruction projects and passed away at the age of 40. Throughout the Honganji-ha J ōdo

Shinshū or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

denomination, Takeko Kujō's memorial is formally commemorated under the name Kisaragi-ki.

References

* Kujo, Takeko. ''Muyuge: Flower Without Sorrow'' (The Nembutsu Press, Los Angeles, 1985) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kujo, Takeko 1887 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Buddhists 20th-century Buddhists 20th-century Japanese women writers 20th-century Japanese writers Buddhism and women Buddhist writers Japanese Buddhists Japanese poets Japanese women poets Kazoku People related to Jōdo Shinshū Pure Land Buddhists Shin Buddhists Writers from Kyoto