Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy, by Phyllis Birnbaum (chapter 17)

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Praise for

M a nc h u Princ e ss, J apa n e s e S p y “Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy is an even-handed biographical study of a fascinating woman who may have been a secret agent during the

p h o to © T revo r Jo h n so n

Pacific War. Phyllis Birnbaum covers Kawashima Yoshiko’s background as a Manchu princess and her further adventures after being adopted in Japan in detail, using virtually every primary source available, as well as novels based on her life.” —Janine Beichman, Daito Bunka University, Tokyo “Richly illustrated with rare photos, and enlivened by numerous interviews, Phyllis Birnbaum’s book is a balanced, well-written biography

Phyllis Birnbaum is a novelist,

of one of the most notorious figures to emerge in the early twentieth-

biographer, journalist, and translator. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Times Literary Supplement, and other publications. Her books include Modern Girls, Shining Stars, the Skies of Tokyo: Five Japanese Women and a biography, Glory in a Line: A Life of Foujita—the Artist Caught Between East and West. She recently edited an English translation of Clouds Above the Hill: A Historical Novel of the Russo-Japanese War. She lives outside of Boston.

century contest for empire in northeast Asia. Anyone interested

The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images Jacket design: Catherine Casalino

of their most problematic intensity will find much profit in reading these stories of the life of Kawashima Yoshiko, many told through the memories of the men and women who loved her and hated her, often at the same time.” —Mark C. Elliott, Harvard University

Asia Perspectives: History, Society, and Culture Columbia University Press New York cup.columbia.edu

Printed in the U.S.A.

Birnbaum

Jacket image: © The Asahi Shimbun/

in the personal dimension of Sino-Japanese relations during the period

M a nch u Princess, Japanese Spy

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.

columbia

Phyllis Birnbaum

Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy Who Commanded Her Own Army

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 (continued on back flap)