Educator and poet Shimoda Utako was a daughter of the Hirao clan, samurai serving the Matsudaira clan, lords of the Iwamura domain. Her childhood name was Seki
Both her grandfather and father were scholars, and Utako was also exposed to learning from an early age, composing traditional Japanese waka and Chinese poetry.
In 1872, at the age of 18, she studied Confucianism in Edo, and the following year she began working for the Imperial Household Ministry. She presented some poetry to the Empress, who recognized her literary talent and gave her the name “Utako.” At the age of 20, she succeeded the Hirao family as head, but became entangled in a power struggle within the domain, and spent a difficult time under house arrest, with her position and stipend suspended.
From there, Utako devoted herself to the education of women, founding schools such as Jissen Women’s Academy and serving as its principal, becoming a pioneer in women’s education during the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868-1926).
Shimoda Utako was commissioned by Emperor Meiji to educate the Imperial princess, and toured eight European countries and the United States. In England, she had an audience with Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace. On this occasion, she wore the keiko, traditional Japanese formal noble court attire, which impressed the Queen and British upper class.
