Nogi Shizuko (乃木静子)
Shizuko NOGI (November 29, 1859-September 13, 1912) was a woman who lived from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period and the wife of Maresuke NOGI who was Army General.
Biography
On November 29, 1859, she was born as the fourth daughter (the youngest child among seven brothers and sisters) between Sadayuki YUCHI, a doctor of the Kagoshima domain, and Sadako YUCHI. Her childhood name was Ohichi or Oshichi.
On December 2, 1872, all her family moved to his eldest brother Sadamoto YUCHI's residence at 2 Akasaka, Tokyo, called by Sadamoto who had just come back to Japan from studying abroad when she was 14 years old in the age by the traditional Japanese system, and she entered Kojimachi Girls' School at the Kojimachi Ward, Tokyo Prefecture.
Kojimachi Girls' School was established at the beginning of the Meiji period and abolished in the middle of the Meiji period, so it does not exist now.
In addition, although it is said that Kojimachi Gakuen Girl's High School succeeded Shizuko's alma mater, no evidence has been discovered so far. However, there are many documents which suggest it.
Recommended by Kosuke IJICHI and Shizuo NOZU who were military men, she hesitantly married Maresuke at the age of 20 in the age by the traditional Japanese system.
Some documents describe that 'Shizuko was interested in Maresuke and loved him,' but this is wrong.
The opposite is true and Maresuke said, 'I will marry only a woman from Kagoshima.'
They were blessed with four children including their eldest son Katsusuke NOGI, but younger two children died soon after the birth, leaving Katsusuke and the second son Yasusuke NOGI.
When she was just married, she continuously suffered from troubles such as poor life and a conflict with her mother-in-law Hisako (the letter '寿子' is also written as '久子' in some documents) NOGI, so she was separated for one and half year from Katsusuke and Yasusuke.
When the Russo-Japanese War began and Maresuke (who had been already the lieutenant general and the Army General at that time), Katsusuke and Yasusuke (both of them had been already junior lieutenants of Army) left for the front, she bought three bottles of fragrant water among which two cost nine yen and the one cost eight yen and presented to them.
At first, Shizuko intended to buy three bottles of fragrant water which cost nine yen and present them to each person, but since only two bottles of fragrant water which cost nine yen were sold, she presented the one which cost nine yen to Katsusuke and Yasusuke, and the other which cost eight yen to Maresuke. The nine yen in those days corresponded to about two-months average salary which a woman could earn with hard working. The reason why Shizuko presented such expensive fragrant water was that it was a pity if her husband and loving sons died in the battle and their bodies smelled an unusual odor, which was her love for family as a wife and a mother.
On May 27, 1904, Katsusuke was hit by a gun at Jinshan Nanzan (commonly called Jinshan or Nanzan) and he was injured in the stomach so hard, an air hole was opened. He had surgery and received treatment by a field doctor, but died from excessive bleeding.
Katsusuke was promoted to the First Lieutenant of Army by special treatment after his death.
After that, Shizuko who had been informed Katsusuke's death was prostrated with sorrow and continued to cry for three days and nights. Some people say that she bled tears.
(It can be guessed that this bleeding of tears showed her read face swollen with crying as if she bled tears, but some documents describe that she actually shed tears with blood, therefore, the truth is unclear.)
On November 30, 1904, when the Imperial Army which faces an uphill battle attacked 203 high land under the strategy of the third commander Maresuke and the Army General Gentaro KODAMA, Yasusuke was hit by crump, fell down from a quay and crashed into rocks, and his head was pulverized and he died (immediate death).
As well as Katsusuke, Yasusuke was promoted to the First Lieutenant of Army by special treatment after his death.
Curiously, it is said that when Shizuko heard Yasusuke's death in the battle, she did not break down crying as she did when Katsusuke died in the battle and accepted his death with a sedate manner.
Some people say that she foresaw Yasusuke's death in the battle.
It is said that she did not look like a living person because of the shock that she lost all children before her death.
It is said that she had a little pleasure such as bonsai (a dwarf miniature potted tree) in her later years.
On July 1912, Emperor Meiji died of diabetes mellitus. After that, on September 13, 1912, she committed martyrdom for Emperor Meiji by stabbing herself in the chest with Maresuke at his residence (the present Nogi-jinja Shrine at Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo Prefecture). Her age at death was 54.
Character
Partly because she was born as the youngest child between Sadayuki YUCHI and Sadako YUCHI, she was nursed by her parents, brothers and sisters. Therefore, she was introversive and was not blessed with good health.
Since photography was still expensive in those days, her photo in her young age does not remain. The photograph which can be confirmed to be hers is only the one taken in her later years. However, it is said that she was beautiful when she was young.
Her death haiku (Japanese poem)
It is a pity to see today's gyoko (royal visit) with hearing that the Emperor goes out but does not return.
Maresuke NOGI (1849-1912)
Her husband
Maretsugu NOGI (1805-1877)
Her father-in-law (Maresuke's father)
Hisako NOGI (1828-1896)
Her mother-in-law (Maresuke's mother. The letter '寿子' is also written as '久子' in some documents)
Katsusuke NOGI (1879-1904)
The eldest son
Yasusuke NOGI (1881-1904)
The second son
Tsuneko NOGI (1885-1886)
The eldest daughter
Naosuke (直典) NOGI (1889-1889)
The third son
Family (the Yuchi family)
Father
Sadayuki YUCHI, a doctor of the Kagoshima domain. His name was pronounced as Sadayuki.
Mother
Sadako YUCHI: a daughter of the Ikeda family who was samurai, and her childhood name was Tei.
Her name after marriage was pronounced Sadako.
Her second and third daughters were named after their mother's childhood name after their marriages.
The eldest brother
Sadamoto YUCHI: a member of the House of Peers, a prefectural governor (1843-1928)
His name was pronounced as Sadamoto.
The second elder brother
Sadayasu YUCHI: Taijo (Captain)
His name was pronounced as Sadayuki.
The youngest elder brother
Sadanori YUCHI: Chujo (Middle Captain), a member of the House of Peers
His name was pronounced Sadanori.
His name is read as Teikan more often, but this is wrong.
It can be thought that his common name or nickname was transmitted as a true name after ages.
The eldest sister
Her name is unknown because she died young.
Since her next sister was considered to be the real eldest daughter for a long time, her name was also thought to be Teiko BABA.
The second eldest sister
Her childhood name is unknown and she became Teiko BABA after marriage.
Her name after marriage was pronounced as Teiko.
(It can be guessed that she was named Teiko in order to distinguish from her mother's name Sadako because they were written in the same Chinese characters.)
Since she was fostered as an actual eldest daughter because of her elder sister's early death, it had been thought that the real eldest daughter was Teiko BABA and that she, who was actually the second eldest sister, died young for a long time.
It was she who discovered the bodies of Maresuke and Shizuko.
The youngest elder sister
Oroku (お六) YUCHI: she became Tei SHIBA (柴テイ) after marriage (Tei or Teiko [てい子 or テイ子] in some documents).
It is said that she was especially close to Shizuko because of the nearest age.