Raicho Hiratsuka

Pioneering Japanese feminist who ignited women's liberation movement in early 20th century Asia

Raicho Hiratsuka (1886-1971) founded Japan's first all-women literary journal and became the standard-bearer for New Women's Association in 1920. Her revolutionary declaration 『In the beginning, woman was the sun』 (1911) challenged feudalistic Confucian values that had suppressed Japanese women for centuries.

What makes Hiratsuka make a difference was her dual assault on both political systems and cultural norms. She organized campaigns against Article 5 of the Police Security Regulations (which banned women from political activities) while establishing Japan's first feminist collective - Bluestocking Society (Seitosha).

Her 1920 petition to parliament demanding women's suffrage and legal protections marked Asia's first organized feminist political action. Despite police harassment and social ostracization, Hiratsuka persisted in establishing maternal protection laws and promoting international peace through post-WWII women's organizations.

Hiratsuka's transgressive lifestyle - living openly with a younger lover, rejecting traditional marriage - made her a cultural icon. Her 13-volume complete works document Japan's turbulent modernization process through feminist lens. The New True Women's Association she co-founded in 1953 continues influencing Japanese gender policies today.