How did women with or Former leprosy patients from Leprosy patients live in sanatoriums under the isolation policy? This museum talk will focus on books written by women who lived in Leprosy sanatorium themselves, and will explore the lives of women who have rarely featured in historical accounts of Leprosy sanatorium to date.

2nd session　Finished
​You can watch the recording of the event "Leaving traces of life - Tsuda Setsuko's 'Manjushage'" on YouTube.

[Lecturer] Naoko Nishiura (Curator The National Hansen's Disease Museum)
[Date and time] Saturday, September 29, 2024, 14:00 to 15:00

Tsuda Setsuko (1916 – 2003): At the age of 17, she entered the Prefectural Zensei Hospital (now Tama Zenshoen, Tokyo). Through her brother, she became friends with Hojo Tamio, a writer at the same hospital. At the age of 23, she married at Inside the sanatorium. In addition to being involved in women's association and church activities, she supported the recuperation and social reintegration of young girls as a dormitory mother at Yurisha. This lecture will look at Tsuda's essay collection, Manjushage (privately published, 1981, republished in 1982 by the United Church of Christ in Japan Publishing Bureau), and trace her life as a woman who severely confronted the oppression of women and discrimination against patients, while also deeply caring for others.

Event Report

In the second session, we analyzed the writings of Setsuko Tsuda, a resident of Tama Zenshoen, and examined her activities in the women's association, her experience as a dormitory mother for the girls' dormitory at Inside the sanatorium, and the significance of the care (nursing/child rearing) that she provided and was forced to provide. 70 people participated in the venue on the day. A recording of the lecture is available on The National Hansen's Disease Museum 's YouTube channel. Please take a look.

From the survey

• The talk made me think about the multiplicity and fluidity of the ways in which oppression manifests itself. I feel that the issue of the relationship between carers and those who are cared for is also related, but I would like to continue thinking about this a little more.
• It was a very detailed read, and I wanted to read it myself. I think I was able to learn about the nursing and the determination to live life, as well as the writing about their interactions with each other.
• I was able to get an image of how the "life" in "Leaving traces of life" does not belong solely to Setsuko Tsuda, but is something that has been shaped through the nursing and caring for her husband and others.
• Through the life of one person, Setsuko Tsuda, I felt like I was able to encounter the lives, or rather the "lives," of people who lived through the same time period.
• I learned a lot. I learned that even Leprosy sanatorium, there were individual difficulties and lives that could never be generalized.
• The way he spoke was just right for the listeners, and it was easy to follow, so the time flew by. I gained a deeper understanding of how women have lived with illnesses.

3rd　Finished
​You can watch the recording of the day of the event "Books and Testimonies of Women Who Struggle - Masako Ueno's 'The Moment of Human Recovery'" on YouTube.

[Lecturer] Manabu Tashiro (curator The National Hansen's Disease Museum)
[Date and time] Saturday, November 23, 2024, 14:00 to 15:00

Ueno Masako (1927-): Born on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture. In 1940, she entered Hoshizuka Keiaien (Kagoshima Prefecture). She married in 1946, but was deeply shocked to learn that her husband had been sterilized. In 1998, she became the first plaintiff in Lawsuit Claiming Compensation from the Government for unconstitutional Leprosy Prevention Law. In her book, "The Moment of Human Recovery" (Nanpo Shinsha, 2009), she writes about Hansen's Disease state compensation lawsuit, her interactions with her family, and the women she met at the sanatorium. Using Video testimonials from The National Hansen's Disease Museum 's collection as a guide, we will consider the damage and discrimination Ueno suffered and her fight against it.

Event Report

In the third session, the experience of Ueno Masako, the first plaintiff in Hansen's Disease State Compensation Lawsuit, was explained, using never-before-seen testimony and Ueno's writings as a guide. Regarding her experience as a woman in Leprosy sanatorium, she considered her marriage within Inside the sanatorium, her husband's sterilization, and the experiences of a female resident who was separated from her children, which she read about in her book. Ueno also spoke about how Hansen's Disease State Compensation Lawsuit, which had been met with conflict among the residents, eventually gained the understanding of all residents. 80 people attended the event. A recording of the lecture is available on The National Hansen's Disease Museum 's YouTube channel. Please take a look.

From the survey

• I was really looking forward to this series that focuses on women. Masako Ueno has a very warm personality and a sense of humor, but I wonder what she was thinking when she became one of the first 13 plaintiffs. I learned that she was in a very tough situation and felt frustrated.
• I was simply amazed to learn that on the day he was to hear his sentence, he had even written a will. I was impressed by the strength of his conviction that lies behind Ueno's gentle way of speaking.
• I learned a lot. I also realized that I am not an outsider, but a party to the issue. It is undoubtedly the same human beings who have caused these people the suffering of not being able to live freely as humans, even though they were born as humans. Listening to this lecture, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of state compensation lawsuits for the first time.
• "Emotions move people, and encounters move lives." These were really good words. It must have been really tough to continue fighting without giving up when you faced opposition from your peers in the same environment. I was really encouraged by Ueno's determination to fight without giving up.
• It was a new perspective for me to learn that while Leprosy recovered persons were discriminated against, women were further oppressed within Inside the sanatorium, and that the trial itself was also an attempt to overcome this, and that the trial and the struggle that followed also had aspects of women's liberation, so I would like to delve deeper into this in the future.

4th　Finished
​You can watch the recording of the event "Words Spreading from Within - Kazuko To's 'In the River of Memories'" on YouTube.

[Lecturer] Akina Hasegawa (Librarian, Library of the National The National Hansen's Disease Museum Library)
[Date and time] Saturday, December 14, 2024, 14:00 to 15:00

Kazuko Toh (1929 – 2013): Entering Oshimaseishoen (Kagawa Prefecture) at the age of 13, Toh began writing poetry under the influence of her husband, a poet, and won the Takami Jun Award at the age of 69. She is one of Former leprosy patients has published the most books, and her poetry is widely known to the public. In this lecture, we will use her award-winning work, Memories of the River (Hands-on Studio Noah, 1998), to reassess the evaluation of Toh's poetry, and discuss how poetry, which is often viewed as "inward-looking," can generate sympathy and spread among people, from the perspectives of reproduction and lookism.

Event Report

In the fourth session, we re-read the works of To Kazuko of Oshimaseishoen, who has published the most poetry collections of Former leprosy patients, from the perspectives of lookism and reproduction. In the second half of the course, we considered the significance of the expressions in To literature, born from the experiences of oppressed women, in comparison with the "political language" of male residents. 90 people participated in the venue on the day. A recording of the lecture is available on The National Hansen's Disease Museum 's YouTube channel. Please take a look.

From the survey

• I hope that Hansen's Disease literature will continue to be read and used as a bridge between those who have experienced Hansen's Disease and those who have not.
• I liked the poetry reading. It allowed us to take the time to think about the poetry itself and the issues surrounding Hansen's Disease. I felt it naturally connected to current awareness of the issues.
• I was impressed by his concise and clear literary analysis, citing concrete examples from the Psalms themselves. His reading was also good, as it was possible to say that he was very familiar with the content. Mr. Hasegawa's own discussion was firmly based on self-reflection and criticism, which I really sympathized with.
• It was a wonderful attempt to approach things that are difficult to talk about and have not been talked about. I also liked the speaker's careful and firm delivery.
• The answer to the last question, "Some people use strong words, but others don't. The words of those who don't are less likely to remain. We need to pay attention to what is left unsaid," left a strong impression on me.

5th　Finished
​You can watch the recording of the day of "Resurrecting Feminine Images - Toshi Fujimoto 'The Ground Has Fallen Out'" on YouTube.

[Lecturer] Gen Yoshikuni (curator The National Hansen's Disease Museum)
[Date and time] Saturday, January 18, 2025, 14:00 to 15:00

Toshi Fujimoto (1901 – 1987): After being admitted to a private hospital (and later outpatient treatment), she entered Minobu Jinkyouen, and then entered the Tonoshima Sanatorium in Osaka (which was damaged by the First Muroto Typhoon in 1934 and rebuilt as Oku-Komyoen in 1938). She is known as a woman who was prolific in writing, including poetry and essays. In this lecture, we will look at her book Chiji no Soko ga Nuketandesu (The Bottom of the Earth Has Been Removed) (Shisou no Kagakusha, 1974) and talk about how a woman who was completely blind and had severe disabilities in her limbs recovered from despair and acquired the skills to survive on her own.

Event Report

The fifth lecture looked at the experiences of women who were unable to reintegrate into society due to disabilities and social prejudice and discrimination, and shed light on the care and solidarity shown between women in Leprosy sanatorium. In the second half of the lecture, the significance of Fujimoto's writing, who continued to write by dictation even after going blind, was examined. 114 people participated in the venue on the day. A recording of the lecture is available on The National Hansen's Disease Museum 's YouTube channel. Please take a look.

From the survey

• It was a very meaningful time. I had no knowledge of Hansen's Disease at all, so I was grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this event. There were more participants than I expected, and I felt that it was a topic of interest. I hope that such events will continue, in the sense of passing on knowledge to future generations. Thank you very much.
• Yoshikuni-san's in-depth analysis and commentary on things I hadn't noticed when reading alone allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the time, space, and thoughts of Fujimoto-san's life. I'm very grateful. In particular, the discussion on gender and care was a new perspective for me.
• After leaving the workforce and having children, I heard about this talk and decided to attend. I'd like to keep a copy at home so that my children can read it when they get a little older, and I'd like to read it together with them again. Thank you very much.
• Thank you for the four museum talks. I was deeply moved by the story of a woman who was trying to live a strong life despite being ill, and the fact that the talks focused on one book. I'm sad that this is the last one.
• I'm glad I was finally able to participate in the last session. Writing is living, and I've "restarted" to live that way myself. Your presence and events always make me realize many different and important things. Thank you very much.

1st　※Cancelled due to instructor's poor health
"Women in Leprosy sanatorium who resisted, lived and sang - Reading 'Sou-ka'"

[Lecturer] Masako Abe (editor of "Pleading Song")
[Date and time]　Saturday, August 31, 2024, 14:00 to 15:00
[Capacity]　Advance registration required. Capacity 130 people (first come, first served)

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