Aisin Gioro Xianyu (1907–1948) was the fourteenth daughter of a Manchu prince and a legendary figure in China's bloody struggle with Japan. After the fall of the Manchu dynasty in 1912, Xianyu's father gave his daughter to a Japanese friend who was sympathetic to his efforts to reclaim power. This man raised Xianyu, now known as Kawashima Yoshiko, to restore the Manchus to their former glory. Her fearsome dedication to this cause ultimately got her killed.
Yoshiko had a fiery personality and loved the limelight. She shocked Japanese society by dressing in men's clothes and rose to prominence as Commander Jin, touted in Japan's media as a new Joan of Arc. Boasting a short, handsome haircut and a genuine military uniform, Commander Jin was credited with many daring exploits, among them riding horseback as leader of her own army during the Japanese occupation of China.
While trying to promote the Manchus, Yoshiko supported the puppet Manchu state established by the Japanese in 1932—one reason she was executed for treason after Japan's 1945 defeat. The truth of Yoshiko's life is still a source of contention between China and Japan: some believe she was exploited by powerful men, others claim she relished her role as political provocateur. China holds her responsible for unspeakable crimes, while Japan has forgiven her transgressions. This biography presents the richest and most accurate portrait to date of the controversial princess spy, recognizing her truly novel role in conflicts that transformed East Asia.
Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy
The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy Who Commanded Her Own Army
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
April 14, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780231526340
- File size: 20059 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780231526340
- File size: 20059 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 15, 2015
The story of Kawashima Yoshiko's life (1907-48) reads like a novel, so it's no surprise that even before her death she was the subject of fiction and film. The 14th daughter of a Manchu prince, Yoshiko was taken in by a Chinese-allied Japanese man after the fall of the Qing dynasty and grew up with a drive to restore the Manchu people to their rightful place, leading her to play a role in the establishment of the Manchu puppet state and in military and espionage activities during Japan's invasion of China in the 1930s. A daring and controversial figure, Yoshiko lived flashily, wore both women's and men's fashions, and freely embroidered and exaggerated her own exploits during the war--the last of these playing a major part in her accusation of treason and execution by the Chinese government. Yet owing to her controversial and larger-than-life status, many of the facts of her life--her upbringing, her true military activities, and even her age--have become obscured. Birnbaum (Glory in a Line) does her utmost to unravel the threads that make up Yoshiko's legacy by using information from memoirs, novels, surviving family members, and the lives of Manchu figures in similar situations. VERDICT In this thoughtful biography of a complicated woman, Birnbaum provides a thorough record of as much of Yoshiko's experience as she can. The author is aware of and up front about bias or inescapable gaps in her sources and sensitive to the complexities of her subject.--Kathleen McCallister, Tulane Univ., New Orleans
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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