Hannah Riddell
Hannah Riddell(1855-1932) was an English woman who devoted her life to the salvation of Hansen's disease patients in Japan.
Life
Early life and her determination
Hannah Riddell was born in 1855 in Barnet, north of London in a complex family. Her father was an officer of the army who was engaged in the training of ex-soldiers at that time. The details of Hannah's education have not been known. In 1877, her family went to Mumbles, in South Wales and her family, namely her mother and Hannah started a private school for young gentlemen and young ladies. The school was a success for some time, but in 1889, it went into bancraptcy. Hannah's next job was a superintendant at YMWCA, a church organization, at Liverpool. In 1890, she was selected as one of the missionaries to work in Japan by the C.M.S.(Church Missionary Society). She arrived in Japan in 1891 at the age of 35 and was transferred to Kumamoto, Kyushu. At Honmyoji, the most popular temple in Kumamoto, she witnessed miserable leprosy patients begging for mercy and she made up her mind to dedicate her life f to the salvation of Hansen's disease patients.
The Kaishun Hospital Under Preparation
Hannnah was politically shrewd enough to sense where authority and power existed, and successfully approached influential people such as leaders of CMS, university professors, industrialists, statesmen, ad influential people such as leaders of CMS, university professors, industrialists, statesmen, and ultimately the Imperial family of Japan. She was also a hight adept socialiser, creating a close circle of supporters such as Grace Nott, one of the five missionaries who came to Japan with Hannah and Professors Honda and Kanazawa. Founding a hospital was an extremely difficult task, but Kaishun Hospital, (the English name is the Kumamoto Hosital of the Resurrection of Hope)was opened on November 12, 1895. Negotiations with the C.M.S. were laborious, but finally in 1900, Hannah won the hopsital at the expense her quitting the C.M.S. and devoting her life to fund-raising for the hospital. Professors Honda and Kanazawa helped with obtaining the land for the Hospital.
A Great Economic Crisis
Hannah Riddell was not the first foreigner in this field. Father Testevuide, a French Catholic missionary, built the first Hansen's disease hospital in Gotemba, Shizuoka, in 1889. But the greatness of Hannah Riddell lay in how she managed to run the hospital. Naturally she staged fund raising mainly from her mother country England. Unfortunately, there came a great economic crisis due to the opening of the Russo-Japanese war in 1904. It is very understandable that English people, accustomed t various wars during the long history of Europe, immediately stopped sending money to Japan; they feared that there might be trouble with sending money because of the Russiona fleet of warships approaching Japan.
A Historical Meeting at the Banker's Club in 1905
Marquis Okuma donated many cherry and maple trees for the decoration of the hospital. In 1905, he and Viscount Shibusawa, influenced by the eagerness of Riddell, invited many officials and prominent persons to the Banker's Club in Tokyo, in order to listen to Riddell's appeal. At the meeting, Prof. Kanazawa spoke for Riddell to the effect that Kaishun Hospital was a good hospital worth supporting, since Riddell was independent of C.M.S. As the direct effect of the meeting, Riddell's crisis was avoided, and later Japan's first leprosy prevention law was promulgated in 1907. In 1914, Riddell wrote a long letter to Marquis Okuma, "I think the expenses of the Government policy would not cost more than a single gun-boat and the yearly expenses could well be met by a tax of about one sen (one hundredth of one yen) on every person in the land. The gain to Japan and to the humanitiy would be immeasurable."
Missionary work concerning Kusatsu, Okinawa and Kumamoto
Hannah Riddell, independently of C.M.S. had been interested in missionary work. She sent missionaries to Kusatsu, a hot spring resort where Hansen's disease patients gathered. Later, Mary Conwall-Leigh, an English lady did substantial missionary work later. To Okinawa, she sent Keisai Aoki who was a patient and Christian. Notwithstanding great difficulties, he succeeded in building a shelter, leading to the establishment of Okinawa Airakuen Leprosy Sanatorium. In 1924, a Japanese-style church building was completed within the campus of Kaishun Hospital. It was characterized by a long frontly-extending slope for those on wheelchairs, imported from England.
Japan's First Hansen's Disease Research Laboratory
It is to be appreciated that in 1918, Riddell established the first scientific Hansen's disease research laboratory in Japan.
Ada Wright Joined Hannah Riddell
Ada Wright, Hannah Riddell's niece, came to Japan in 1896 and joined Riddell. After Riddell's death in 1923, Ada became the director of Kaishun Hospital.
The Tragic Closing of the Hospital
1940 was the year when the relations between Japan and England became unfriendly. In September, Secretary Jingo Tobimatsu was detained in the police station and Ada was questioned for the possession of a short-wave radio. On February 3, 1941, the closing of the Hospital wad suddenly declared, and patients were transferred to the Kyushu Sanatorium(Kikuchi Keifuen). In April Ada escaped to Australia, and she came back to Japan in June 1948. She died in 1950. The ashes of Hannah and Ada were laid in the Hospital Ground.
The 100th year aniversary
In 1995, the 100th year aniversary of the Kaishun Hospital was held at Kumamoto, and the stories of Hannah Riddell and Ada Wright were recalled. Lady Boyd (Julia Boyd) throughly studied the records of Hannah Riddell left in England and wrote,"Hannah Riddell, An English Women in Japan," which corrected some of the legends of Hannah Riddell.
Riddell's Sex Segregation Policy of Leprosy Patients
Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacteria leprae. Effective therapy was found in 1941 by Faget, 9 years after Riddell's death. Traditionally Japan and Japanese leprologists at that time adopted a segregation policy, but Riddell's thinking was unique. She firmly believed that the only way to stamp out leprosy in Japan was by segregation of the both sexes and she insisted on it as long as she lived. She was against male and female patients even becoming friendly. Kensuke Mitsuda, a noted leprologist, commented that Riddell believed that what terminated England's leprosy in Medieval Age was the legal abolishment of believed that what terminated England's leprosy in Medieval Age was the legal abolishment of men and that what terminated England's leprosy in Medieval Age was the legal abolishment of men and women living together. The patients at the Kaishun Hospital accepted her segregation but they could visit their families when indicated.
Soichi Iwashita's Comments on Riddell
Soichi Iwashita, the director of Fukusei Hospital, the first leprosy hospital by French Catholic Missionary Father Testevuide, met Hannah in April, 1931 and wrote the following comments concerning her. "I do not know how Riddell herself thinks, but observing her life story, I must admit a great mission has been achieved, regardless of whether she was aware or not. God selected Riddell and awakened the consciousness of people of Japan concerning leprosy problems. It is true that Fukusei Hospital was built earlier than Kaishun Hospital. However, our leaders had been too patient concernig small matters. Riddell moved great personalities, and visited Interior Minister every time she went to Tokyo. These people might be reluctant to meet her. Riddell was great enough to face them, and any doors were open to her since she was politically shrewd. She did not forget to use her abilities for her ideals.
Suppose a Japanese, with the same ideas as Riddell's in mind, wanted to meet the Interior Minister of Japan. It is 100 % certain that he will be left unattended out of the office."
References
- Hannah Riddell, An Englishwoman in Japan. Julia Boyd. Charles E. Tuttle. 1996.