Satô Shizu was a member of the Satô family of Rangaku & medical scholars, and was herself a pioneer of women's education in Japan.
Born in the town of Aso (today, Namekata, Ibaraki prefecture), Shizu was the eldest daughter of Satô Takanaka; when her father was adopted by Satô Taizen and succeeded him as head of the Juntendô medical school in 1859, she joined Takanaka in moving to Sakura (in Shimousa province, today, Chiba prefecture). In 1867, she married Satô Susumu, who was thus adopted into the family.
Shizu was educated in a variety of subjects, including kangaku (Chinese Studies), traditional Japanese subjects, and women's subjects, as well as naginata, Zen meditation, and poetry composition, and became fairly active in the local high society in Sakura.
In 1902, Shizu became a chief teacher, and later the principal, at a Girls' Art School founded in 1900 by Yokoi Tamako. She was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order (kun rokutô hôkan shô) in 1915 for her contributions to women's education, alongside Tsuda Umeko and others.
References
- Pamphlets available at the Juntendô Memorial Buildings Museum in Sakura, Chiba.
- "Satô Shizu," Asahi Nihon rekishi jinbutsu jiten 朝日日本歴史人物事典, Asahi Shimbunsha.