In 1890 (Meiji 23), Lafcadio Hearn travelled to Japan as a journalist for an American magazine. In Matsue, he was fondly known as “Herun san”, and it was here that he met his wife, Koizumi Setsu, the daughter of a Matsue samurai.

Setsu was born on 4^th February 1868 (Keio 4 ^[1]). Both her father and mother came from distinguished families. At that time, Japan was transitioning from the feudal system of the shogunate to a capitalist society, and this shift towards modernisation signalled the downfall of the samurai. Most of the warrior class lost their status and livelihoods, and fell into destitution. Both Setsu’s natural family, the Koizumis, and her adoptive family, the Inagakis, were affected, and became impoverished.

Hearn and Koizumi Setsu met sometime between the beginning to the middle of February ^[2] 1891, when Setsu began work as a live-in housekeeper for Hearn, who was teaching English in Matsue at the time. Before long, they began to live together as husband and wife. Along with Setsu’s adoptive parents, they eventually moved from Matsue to Kumamoto, then Kobe and finally Tokyo. They were blessed with four children—three boys and a girl. Now a family man, Hearn, supported by Setsu, completed the naturalisation procedures to become a Japanese citizen. In February 1896, Hearn officially married Setsu by being recorded in her family register, and became a Japanese citizen taking the name Koizumi Yakumo. Upon reflection of his own unhappy childhood, Hearn, Setsu’s British husband, took this courageous step to protect his beloved wife and children.

From an early age, Setsu had loved stories, and she became Hearn’s storyteller, acting as his literary assistant. Many of the ghost stories Hearn retold were those which he had heard from Setsu. Hearn expressed his gratitude to Setsu by saying that his work was created due to her input, and that she was the best wife in the world. (Chichi Koizumi Yakumo, Koizumi Kazuo). Hearn’s retellings developed as Setsu became more familiar with his preferences, and she found delight and fulfillment in assisting him with his work. They developed a unique method of communication in Japanese which they called “Hearn speak”, and this deepened their mutual trust.

Setsu’s parting with Hearn came suddenly when he died unexpectedly from a heart attack. She was left with four young children, and was supported by Hearn’s friends and relatives. Hearn’s close friends Mitchell McDonald, Elizabeth Bisland (Wetmore), and Basil Chamberlain all extended a helping hand to Setsu. It is not well known that after Hearn’s death, Setsu, along with her eldest son Kazuo, was extremely busy dealing with copyright issues, royalty procedures, publications related to Hearn, the publication of his Tokyo University lectures, meeting guests and writing her own memoirs.

Setsu’s later years were comparatively peaceful. She made offerings of Hearn’s favourite cream-coloured roses to his spirit, and enjoyed her hobbies of Noh singing and tea ceremony. On 28^th February 1932, Setsu died at the age of 64, watched over by her grandchildren, in the home she had shared with Hearn in Shinjuku Nishi Okubo. She rests peacefully next to her husband in the cemetery of Zoshigaya.

Of Koizumi Setsu’s 64 years, she spent 13 years and 9 months with her husband. This is short in comparison to the 23 years she spent before she met him, and her 27 years as a widow. However, perhaps this was the period during which she felt most fulfilled and her talents were able to shine. This exhibition consists of Chapter 1 “Setsu’s early life”, Chapter 2 “The story of Setsu and Hearn”, and Chapter 3 “Mrs Koizumi Yakumo”. Setsu’s handwritten manuscripts, documents related to Hearn’s naturalisation, letters from Hearn’s friends to Setsu, the draft of her memoirs and some items important to her will be on display. The exhibition will focus on this woman who lived as a wife of a Westerner with strength and grace.

In this year, which marks the 120^th anniversary of the publication of Kwaidan and the 120^th anniversary of Hearn’s death, the exhibition aims to shine a light on the life of Koizumi Setsu, the greatest contributor to the creation of Hearn’s retold literature. Her influence on Hearn’s work is immeasurable, and it is through the filter of Setsu’s life that we look again at the writer Lafcadio Hearn.

[1] Keio 4, when Setsu was born became the first year of the Meiji period on 8^th September
[2] There are different theories as to when Setsu started working as a live-in housekeeper