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영어

This article tries to examine what is the significance of the Great Kanto Earthquake occurring in 1923 in the history of feminist movement in Japan. For this purpose, this article addresses the issue with focus on two points, namely Japanese women’s requirements for ‘Revival of the Imperial Capital’ with their status as women, and the incorporation of female activists and organizations through experience of disasters due to the earthquake. First, as the Great Kanto Earthquake brought very terrible destructions beyond imagination, ‘Revival of the Imperial Capital’ was a very novel beginning as it were for women, and allowed women and children to have the dream of ideal life. The female voice for ‘Revival of the Imperial Capital’ after the earthquake amounted to the sum of all the consciousness and demands among so-called ‘awakened’ women at the moment of 1923. Second, the experience of the Great Kanto Earthquake played the role of promoting ties among female groups that had various claims and conflicted with each other. Brought together ‘without argument’ for the sake of service in such an urgent situation, they naturally proceeded to found the Tokyo Confederation of Ladies. Furthermore, the organization was developed into the League for the Realization of Women’s Franchise at the end of 1924, and then they entered full-fledged activities for attaining the female franchise.