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| Yuriko in her 20's |
it’s also International Women’s Day during Women’s History Month.
exactly why do we need a month honoring women’s history, you might ask. well, because so many women have not been celebrated for their achievements the way that men have for theirs.
among those women are some who also accomplished greatness as mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, sisters, aunties, friends and family members—just like yours.
for 'Tokyo Lily', or Yuriko, life was extremely difficult for about 2/3’s of it. as a child, she suffered through the Great Kanto Earthquake, one of the worst natural disasters in the world.
shortly after, Yuriko lost her father—the family patriarch, which left her mother alone to raise 5
young children.
back in those days, there were no government programs to assist poor families. so, Yuriko was
sent away at the age of 13 to work. the money she earned was all given to her mother to pay
the living expenses of her siblings. working without pay is akin to slavery!
by the time she was in her 20’s, Yuriko’s work contract was completed so she returned home
to finish school. she was working and studying when Japan entered WWII and caused a major
disruption in her life.
imagine running from bombs dropping on your city! and, yet that’s exactly what Yuriko did.
further, food and other commodities had to be rationed due to massive shortages throughout the country.
when the war finally ended, Japan was occupied by U.S. soldiers. as frightening as that was to
the Japanese, Yuriko actually benefitted from it. besides finding work with the U.S. military, she
later married an American soldier.
but that didn’t end her struggles. when she arrived in the U.S. via boat, her husband was not
waiting at the pier and she had to navigate through two long train rides to the segregated South—her first home in a foreign country.
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| Yuriko painted this footlocker she brought from Japan |
eventually, Yuriko lived in the Pacific Northwest where she married her second husband. only
then, was she able to explore the artistic expressions she was so passionate about.
for a peek at her some of her work, visit: iAmArtistYuriko
https://lenastarwheels.wixsite.com/iamartistyuriko
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| landing page of iAmArtistYuriko |
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| Yuriko painted these clam shells |
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| similarly painted clam shells are seen in this screen capture from the 'Abarenbo Shogun' tv series, taking place in the early 1700's |
would you like to celebrate Yuriko on this International Women's Day? you can do so by donating to a film about her.
'Tokyo Lily, a war bride docu*memory' is currently in the production stage. thanks to our dedicated donors, we've raised enough funds to have several years' worth of video digitized as well as some super 8 footage and slides.
next up will be budgeting for historical research, archived images and music. you can be a part
of 'Tokyo Lily, a war bride docu*memory' by donating here:
watermelonsushiworld.blogspot.com
here's a reminder that you can still watch all 5 'War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory' films on Gumroad:
https://watermelonsushi.gumroad.com/
and, if you're looking for a unique gift idea, please visit our Red Bubble and TeePublic stores for movie posters featuring Yuriko:
also, please be on the lookout for the Japanese war brides exhibit in conjunction with the Smithsonian!
you can stay up to date here:
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/WarBridesOfJapan/
https://www.facebook.com/throwingriceproductions/
https://www.facebook.com/hapateez
INSTAGRAM:
https://www.instagram.com/warbridesofjapan/
https://www.instagram.com/yayoiclanart/
arrigatou for celebrating with us!
Yuri’s Fans Forever
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