E-text prepared by Meredith Bach, Delphine Lettau, Ernest Schaal, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 35511-h.htm or 35511-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35511/pg35511-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35511/35511-h.zip) WORKING WOMEN OF JAPAN * * * * * * [Illustration: LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN PROGRESS] _Volumes Issued_ The Church a Community Force. _By Worth M. Tippy_ The Church at the Center. _By Warren H. Wilson_ The Making of a Country Parish. _By Harlow S. Mills_ Working Women of Japan. _By Sidney L. Gulick_ Social Evangelism. _By Harry F. Ward_ _Cloth, 50 Cents, Prepaid_ ADDITIONAL VOLUMES TO BE ISSUED * * * * * * [Illustration: A FARMER'S HOME] WORKING WOMEN OF JAPAN by SIDNEY L. GULICK Twenty-five years a missionary in Japan, Professor in Doshisha University, Late Lecturer in the Imperial University of Kyoto Author of _Growth of the Kingdom of God; Evolution of the Japanese; The White Peril in the Far East; The American Japanese Problem; The Fight for Peace_ 1915 Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada New York Copyright, 1915, by Missionary Education Movement of the United States and Canada Dedicated to SHINJIRO OMOTO in appreciation of more than a decade of untiring service for the Working Women of Japan CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE PREFACE ix I SOCIAL CLASSES IN JAPAN, OLD AND NEW 1 II FARMERS' WIVES AND DAUGHTERS 8 III DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES IN FARMING FAMILIES 24 IV SILK WORKERS 32 V WIVES AND DAUGHTERS OF ARTIZANS AND MERCHANTS 36 VI _KOMORI_ (BABY-TENDERS) 42 VII HOUSEHOLD DOMESTICS 48 VIII HOTEL AND TEA-HOUSE GIRLS 52 IX FACTORY GIRLS AND WOMEN 61 X GEISHA (_HETÆRÆ_) 87 XI _SHOGI_ (LICENSED PROSTITUTES) 104 XII AMELIORATIVE EFFORTS 118 XIII THE MATSUYAMA WORKING GIRLS' HOME 137 ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE A FARMER'S HOME _Frontispiece_