A 6-year-old girl shipped overseas to become Japan's future — then told to shrink herself.
Tsuda Umeko was born in December 31, 1864 and became a pioneer in women's eductation. In 1871, Tsuda Umeko, with her father's recommendation, went to the United States to study at the age of 6. She was the youngest of the group of females to travel there. They were the first Japanese female students to study overseas at their government's expense. 11 years after studying in the United States, Tsuda Umeko returns to Japan. She wants to become a woman who is helpful to her culture, but she is shocked by the low status of women in Japan. (Source: AsianWiki)
Acting
Suzu Hirose ages Ume from wide-eyed child to steel-spined woman flawlessly.
Production
Meiji-era Japan vs. Gilded Age America — the contrast stings.
Director
Meiji Fujita
Suzu Hirose
Ume Tsuda
Elaiza Ikeda
Sutematsu Yamakawa
Yui Sakuma
Shige Nagai
Emma Miyazawa
Ryo Yoshimasu
Kai Inowaki
Naibu Kanda
Hideaki Ito
Sen Tsuda
Yuki Uchida
Hatsu Tsuda
Mieko Harada
Ume Tsuda (late years)
Dean Fujioka
Arinori Mori
Kei Tanaka
Hirobumi Ito
Kami Hiraiwa
Utako Shimoda
Saori Watanabe
Umeko Ito
Hayase Ikoi
Tei Ueda
Tomoharu Hasegawa
Takachika Fukuoka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Tsuda Umeko founded Tsuda University in 1900, still one of Japan's most prestigious women's colleges. The film was released for its 120th anniversary.
Sutematsu Yamakawa, Ume's fellow student, actually became the first Japanese woman to earn a college degree — from Vassar in 1882. The film compresses their parallel stories.
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