Joan of Arc and Florence Nightingale of Japan

At first glance, it is difficult to imagine a more disparate historical figure than Joan of Arc and Florence Nightingale. One is a military leader driven by faith, the other is the mother of modern nursing, dedicated to science and progress. So how does one compare a Japanese woman to these two seemingly polar opposites? This may begin with recognizing that, despite their superficial differences, Joan of Arc and Florence Nightingale had much in common: a sense of duty, selflessness, a desire to lead, and extraordinary courage. In short, this is why Niijima Yae has been compared to the patron saint of France and the Lady with the Lamp. Here is a more detailed account of her extraordinary life:

Niijama Yae holding a katana, rifle and waka poem (c. 1862) | Image: Wikimedia

Ye has a gun

Yae, also known as Yaeko, was born into the Yamamoto family in 1845, during the final decades of the Edo period (1603 to 1867), when Japan was making the difficult transition from feudalism to modern society. She was the daughter of a samurai from the Aizu Domain (now Fukushima Prefecture), a region known for its samurai traditions and loyalty to the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1868, the shogunate was overthrown and the emperor ruled.

When conflict came to their doorstep in the form of the Battle of Aizu (October-November 1868), Yamamoto Yae prepared to defend her home gun in hand.

Her father Kwon Pal is an official shooting instructor He taught the princes of Aizu everything he knew about firearms and artillery. This was unusual even by the standards of the time, as Gonpachi also had a son to whom he could impart his knowledge. It didn’t seem like necessity, but belief: He thought his daughter should know how to handle a gun.

Yae proved to be a gifted student. During the defense of Tsuruga Castle, she avoided using Naginata — a weapon usually reserved for female warriors — preferred Western-style rifles. Her sniping skills are legendary. It is said that during a battle, she wounded Iwao Koyama, who would eventually become Field Marshal and founder of the Imperial Japanese Army.

She reportedly trained others how to shoot and led nighttime raids with limited ammunition, using swords for close combat. When the castle finally fell, Yae surrendered along with the men, cutting her hair short and donning men’s clothing. Her leadership, fighting prowess and challenge to gender norms earned her the nickname “Joan of Arc”.

Niijima with her husband Joseph Hadi Nesima (1876) | Image: Wikimedia

women of every era

In 1876, after being pardoned for fighting the Imperial Army, Yae married educator and Protestant missionary Niijima Ishida (also known as Niijima Castle or Joseph Hadi Nisima). He was the founder of an English school that eventually became Doshisha University in Kyoto. Their marriage is the reason why Yae is often referred to as Niijima Yae in historical sources.

Although she took her husband’s last name, she was often accused of being a bad wife because she did not treat her husband like a master. Their marriage was clearly a partnership based on love and respect, which caused misunderstandings in modern but still patriarchal Meiji-era (1868-1912) Japan.

Although Yae had previously fought to preserve traditional samurai culture and resist Western influence, she eventually converted to Protestantism. Her life is not one of contradiction, but of adaptation. During the samurai era, Yamamoto Yae was the best samurai she could be. In modern times, Niijima Yae became a representative of progressive ideas, creating a small school for girls and publicly modeling a marriage that challenged traditional norms.

Portrait of Niijima in later life | Image: National Food and Drink Collection

From inflicting gunshot wounds to treatment

Joseph Hardy Neesima died in 1890, a terrible blow that reportedly deepened Yae’s Christian faith, prompting her to join the Japanese Red Cross. Thus begins the story of wartime nurse Yae Niijima.

During the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), she initially treated wounded soldiers in Hiroshima and later served closer to the war zone. Her charisma, leadership and dedication proved invaluable in organizing wartime medical relief, making her a heroine of Tsuruga Castle. Over time, Yae led a team of dozens of paramedics and later served again during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).

Yae approaches nursing with a very samurai attitude: she observes, assesses, learns, and serves wholeheartedly. She developed training programs based on her extensive experience, advocated for standardized care, and petitioned the government to pay more attention to nurses.

She eventually became the first non-royal woman in Japan’s modern history to be officially awarded a medal by the government, earning the nickname “Japan’s Florence Nightingale.” She died in 1932 at the age of 86.

Related posts