Ogino Ginko

Japan's first licensed female physician breaking gender barriers

Ogino Ginko (1851-1913) overcame Meiji-era sexism to become Japan's inaugural certified woman doctor. Despite being forced into prostitution after divorce, she pioneered women's healthcare through:

• Establishing Tokyo's first women's clinic (1885)
• Advocating for contraceptive education decades before Western movements
• Treating impoverished patients during cholera epidemics

Her medical journals reveal groundbreaking work in gynecological treatments using traditional Kampo medicine.