時は、明治３５年４月、私は渡辺裁縫女学校に入学いたしました。制服は、海老茶袴(えびちゃばかま)をつけるのですが、袴を買うことなど、到底できません。たまたま、桜井村堀内の長者である稲垣家の御令嬢、久子様が、日本女子大に在学中であったので、そのお古を頂いて、ともかく通学し出したのです。[英訳を表示]
It was in April of 1902(Meiji 35) when I entered Watanabe Girls’ Sewing School. However, the uniform required a maroon skirt, for which I had no money at all. By chance, Mistress Hisako, a daughter of the Inagaki family, millionaires from Horiuchi in Sakurai Village, was at Japan Women’s University and gave me a used skirt that conformed to my school’s dress code.
しかし、６か月の速成科では、卒業しても、駄目だと分ったので、私は１か年の普通科に入ったのです。学科目は、裁縫と倫理でしたが、別に自由学習として、教育、裁縫教授法、服装史を習い、実地裁縫としては、毎日、１枚近く仕上げるという忙しさでした。ところが、この科を卒業しても、小学校専科教員の資格は得られなくて、この上にある高等科の前期後期まで終えて、国家試験にパスすると、はじめて裁縫科の中等教員の資格を与えられるという次第です。[英訳を表示]
However, I realized that the six-month intensive course would be insufficient for my purposes, so I entered a general one-year course. The required subjects were as follows: sewing, ethics, self-study, general and sewing pedagogy, fashion history, and also practical sewing. I was very busy, finishing one entire garment almost every day. However, I soon learned that completion of this course was not enough to meet the qualifications needed to be an elementary school specialized course teacher. To earn that certification, I would still be required to take an advanced course, taught over a full term. Finally I would need to pass the national examination in order to gain accreditation as a secondary school sewing course teacher.
そして、それには基礎学の力が必要なのです。他の学生のように、高等女学校を経ていない私には、どの角度から見ても無理なのでした。しかし、重大な決心をして、はるばる東京までやってきたのだから、何としても、国家試験に合格するまでは頑張りたい、そこで、先ず第一に、不足している学力の獲得に志したのです。[英訳を表示]
Basic knowledge was also required. While the other students had graduated from girls’ higher schools, I had not. No matter how I looked at it, it was impossible for me to acquire the basics. But, after coming all the way to Tokyo with this big goal, I just had to make an attempt at the national examination, needing first of all to make every effort to acquire the knowledge that I lacked.
当時、神田の一ツ橋に、東京府立本科教員養成所があって、毎夜６時から８時まで開講されていました。予科６か月を経てその後１か年が準教員養成、さらに１か年が尋常小学校本科正教員養成という、仕組みになっておりましたので早速、学科の補習のために入学いたしました。かくて昼間は裁縫学校に、夜は教員養成所に通って、帰るとすぐ、両校の復習予習や、宿題の整理で、１２時すぎまで勉強しておりました。こうして、一歩一歩希望の峰に迫ってゆく時ほど、うれしいことはありませんでした。[英訳を表示]
At that time, at Hitotsubashi in Kanda, there was Tokyo Prefectural Core Course Teachers’ Training Institute, which was open in the evenings from six to eight o’clock. After a six-month preparatory course, the program consisted of a one-year training course for assistant teachers, and another one-year training course for full-time teachers at an ordinary elementary school regular course. So I immediately enrolled in the supplementary courses for all subjects. Life went on like this for a while; I went to sewing school by day and teachers’ training institute by night. Upon returning home, I would review the day’s lessons and prepare for both schools, assignments keeping me awake until past midnight. A great sense of joy came over me as, step by step, I felt I was climbing ever nearer to my goal.